Resource Efficiency Atlas: An international perspective on

Transcrição

Resource Efficiency Atlas
An international perspective on technologies
and products with resource efficiency potential
m2
Authors:
Justus von Geibler, Holger Rohn, Frieder Schnabel, Jana Meier,
Klaus Wiesen, Elina Ziema, Nico Pastewski, Michael Lettenmeier
W U P P E R TA L S P E Z I A L 44e
Ressourceneffizienzatlas
essoource
ource ffiz
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sou Efficiency
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Resource
Atlas
This report is result of a project funded by the Federal
Ministry of Education and Research under the grant number 16I158. The responsibility for the content lies solely
with the authors.
The funding programme was managed by VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH.
Project duration: 2008/01 – 2011/03
Project management: Justus von Geibler
More information on the project Resource Efficiency Atlas
can be found at www.ressourceneffizienzatlas.de.
Project partners and publishers:
Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy
42103 Wuppertal, Döppersberg 19, Germany
www.wupperinst.org
Trifolium – Beratungsgesellschaft mbH
61169 Friedberg, Alte Bahnhofstraße 13, Germany
www.trifolium.org
Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO
70569 Stuttgart, Nobelstr. 12, Germany
www.innovation.iao.fraunhofer.de
University of Stuttgart - Institute of Human Factors
and Technology Management IAT
70569 Stuttgart, Nobelstr. 12, Germany
www.iat.uni-stuttgart.de
ISBN: 978-3-929944-84-6
Design: VisLab, Wuppertal Institute
Layout and typesetting: Dr. Martina Nehls-Sahabandu, ubb
Printing: Druckverlag Kettler GmbH, Bönen
Picture copyrights: istockphoto.com (Title photo and
photos for categories on pages 26-67)
Contact to authors:
Dr. Justus von Geibler,
Wuppertal Institute, Tel.: +49 (0) 202 2492 - 168, [email protected]
Holger Rohn,
Trifolium, Tel.: +49 (0) 6031 68754 - 64, [email protected]
Frieder Schnabel,
IAO und IAT, Tel.: +49 (0) 711 970 - 2245, [email protected]
© Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, 2011
2
An international perspective on technologies
and products with resource efficiency potential
Authors:
Justus von Geibler
Holger Rohn
Frieder Schnabel
Jana Meier
Klaus Wiesen
Elina Ziema
Nico Pastewski
University of Stuttgart – Institute of Human Factors and Technology Management IAT
Michael Lettenmeier
Wuppertal, March 2011
W U P P E R TA L S P E Z I A L 44e
3
Acknowledgement
This Resource Efficiency Atlas with 21 examples of resource efficient use and the
released internet data base with more examples would not have been possible
without the contribution of various people, to which we would like to express
our gratitude.
We deeply appreciate the valuable contributions of scientific experts and practitioneers, especially those who shared their knowledge and experience with
us through interviews and workshops. Moreover, we would like to thank all involved people from companies and research institutions, who contributed to
the Resource Efficiency Atlas (REA) by delivering various examples.
A special thanks goes to all those who helped us designing and revising the text
at hand and to those who supported us to ensure the scientific quality of our
texts. We are grateful for all the photos and charts that were put at our disposal.
Last but not least we would like to thank the Ministry of Education and Research
for the support of the REA project as well as the “VDI/VDE Innovation und Technik GmbH” for the management of the funding programme.
The authors
4
Table of contents
1 Developing resource efficient technologies and products - a global challenge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.1 Resource efficiency as a central task for the 21st century . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.2 The project Resource Efficiency Atlas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.3 The structure of the Resource Efficiency Atlas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2 Resource efficiency potentials in focus of research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.1 International experts’ perspective on resource efficiency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.2 The identification of resource efficiency examples for practical application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
3 Resource efficiency in practice and research: 21 examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
3.1 Technologies for resource efficiency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
3.2 Products for resource efficiency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
3.3 Strategies for resource efficiency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
4 Strategic starting-points for more resource efficiency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
4.1 Strengths and weaknesses of technology and product development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
4.2 Strategic starting points and courses of action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
5 Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
6 Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Interviewed experts in the project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
About the publishers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
5
1 Developing resource efficient technologies
and products – a global challenge
1.1 Resource efficiency as a central task for the 21st century
Sustainable management of natural resources and efficient
use of raw materials have increasingly gained importance
with respect to ecological, social, and economic aspects.
Simultaneously, knowledge and know-how about resource
efficiency and implementation options are becoming more
significant.
This has many reasons: due to rising prices and price
fluctuations on the worldwide energy and raw material
markets (see figure 1), resource management is increasingly
becoming an issue for businesses. Competitive disadvantages, which arise from inefficient use of resources, increasingly endanger jobs and the development of companies
(Bundesministerium für Umwelt 2007). Natural resource
shortages and related international raw material conflicts
as well as highly and strongly fluctuating raw material
prices can lead to massive economic and social problems.
650.00
600.00
550.00
500.00
450.00
400.00
350.00
300.00
250.00
200.00
150.00
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Figure 1: Rise in the prices of important raw materials as shown by
the Reuters CRB Commodity Index (Source: Moore Research Centre
Inc. 2011)
6
Therefore, improved resource efficiency is becoming an issue in international and national politics as well as in business. This is visible on the political agenda, for instance,
by the strategy “Europe 2020” where resource efficiency
is one of the seven flagship initiatives (European Commission 2011), or in the German national resource strategy
“ProGress” (Reiche 2011). In addition, the German Enquete
commission on growth, wealth, and quality of life focuses
on the decoupling of wealth and resource consumption
as central theme (Deutscher Bundestag 2011). Resource
efficiency gains increasing acceptance within the context
of the “Green economy” debate (OECD 2011; UNEP 2011).
Additionally, more and more companies start to look for
resource efficient technologies (OECD 2009).
Improving resource efficiency is also necessary for not
exceeding ecological boundaries on earth. The pressures
on the environment caused by natural resource extraction
and consumption, and by the emissions and waste generation, result in direct ecological problems. The global consumption of materials, metals, and minerals as well as fossil
raw materials and biomass, has strongly increased over the
past 30 years (Sustainable Europe Research Institute 2011).
The use of resources is accelerated by the industrialisation
in emerging countries. The global economy is expected
to grow on average by three percent each year until 2030
(Bundesministerium für Umwelt 2007).
Furthermore, a growing world population expedites
the already continuously rising global demand. Until 2050
over nine billion people will live on earth and an increasing
number will live in cities and/or industrial societies (Bundesministerium für Umwelt 2007). Figure 2 shows examples
of the estimated worldwide demand for resources based
Global Oil Consumption (in bn. t)
30
Worldwide Car Fleet (in bn.)
25
Global Resource Extraction (in bn. t)
300
5
250
4
20
200
3
15
150
2
10
100
1
5
0
50
0
today
2050
0
today
2050
today
2050
Figure 2: Worldwide demand for raw materials in 2050 without increasing efficiency levels
(Source: Hennicke 2006)
on oil consumption, number of cars, and global resource
extraction in 2050.
The relevance of different business sectors in terms of
resource consumption varies from country to country. The
most resource intensive sectors in Germany, for instance,
are construction, food and beverage, metal and semi-finished metal goods, as well as the energy and motor vehicle sectors (Acosta-Fernández 2007). In Finland, however,
mining and construction are the most intensive sectors,
followed by agricultural, forestry and wood-processing industry sectors. The car industry only plays a minor role here
(Mäenpää 2005). This demonstrates that for each country
different technologies, products and, thus, different strategies are relevant in order to improve resource efficiency.
An analysis of resource consumption by areas of demand (see figure 3) reveals that in industrialised societies
the majority of resources are used for housing and nutrition. This refers to resources directly contained by consumer goods as well as to lifecycle-wide (indirect) resource
consumption such as energy used for manufacturing or
distribution. Furthermore, mobility plays a central role here
when analysed separately (e.g. driving to the supermarket
within the field of nutrition) and not integrated within
each demand area (Matthews et al. 2000; Bringezu / Schütz
2001; Kotakorpi / Lähteenoja / Lettenmeier 2008).
In general, higher resource efficiency not only within the
above mentioned fields offers various benefits for society
and economy (e.g. Ritthoff et al. 2007; Bringezu 2004; Van
der Voet et al. 2005; Schmidt-Bleek 2007; Liedtke / Busch
2005). Examples are:
t Cost reduction (production and product costs as well
as the reduction of costs during the use-phase),
t
t
Securing raw material supply,
Decreasing environmental impacts during the entire
lifecycle.
Furthermore, resource efficiency facilitates product and
production innovation and opens up new markets for
products with reduced resource input. Here, national
markets as well as international export markets can be addressed. A study by Roland Berger Consultants points out
that environmental technologies show high market potential and a dynamic growth around the globe (Bundesministerium für Umwelt 2007). The six leading markets identified
in this study (environmentally friendly energy production
and storage, energy efficiency, material efficiency, recycling, sustainable mobility, and sustainable water management) already represented a total volume of about one
trillion euros in 2005. Considering the average growth rate
of each of these markets, the market for raw material and
material efficiency is expected to have the highest annual
Food and Drinks
(incl. alcoholic drinks)
26 %
Apartment,Water, Electricity, Gas
and other fuels
19 %
Traffic
19 %
Furniture, Appliances, Gadgets and
Equipment for the Household incl. Maintenance
16 %
Lodging and Restaurant Services
9%
12.644.777
9.223.308
9.140.765
7.696.969
4.473.912
Figure 3: Resource consumption incl. ecological backpack of especially resource intensive areas of demand in Germany for the year
2000, in percent and 1,000 tons (Source: Acosta-Fernández, 2011)
7
Chapter 1: Developing resource efficient technologies and products – a global challenge
growth rate of eight percent (Bundesministerium für Umwelt 2007).
There are relatively simple optimization methods for
businesses promising cost saving potentials of more than
ten percent (Baron et al. 2005; Bundesministerium für
Umwelt 2007). After all, material costs on average correspond to approximately 47.5 percent of the gross production costs in the German manufacturing sector. Thus, they
represent the largest part of total costs before personnel
costs with around 17.8 percent and energy costs with approximately 2.1 percent (Destatis 2010, 377). Consequently,
material consumption reduction promises major cost saving potentials (Baron et al. 2005). However, one should not
only pay attention to single processes. In an integrated
optimisation all upstream and downstream processes
from raw material mining up to product disposal should
be considered. This is a major challenge because complex
and globalised lifecycle value chains make it difficult to
transparently track and influence all upstream products.
Key decisions influencing the future resource efficiency
of products are not only made during the production process, but especially in the early stages of the product innovation process (generation of ideas, design, R&D) (Bullinger
2006). This represents a vast array of relatively simple options for a sustainable design of processes, products and
services (Geibler / Rohn 2009).
Within the framework of the national project “Material
Efficiency and Resource Conservation” (MaRess) in Germany, the resource efficiency potentials of approximately
1,000 applications were estimated in a qualitative study
supported by experts. Subsequently, the resource efficiency potentials of 22 applications were calculated and, hence,
great potentials determined (Rohn et al. 2010). The areas
showing great potential for efficiency improvements are
summarised in table 1.
8
The key areas of action with potential to
increase resource efficiency
Technologies
Cross-sectional technologies and „enablingtechnologies“: door openers for resource
efficient applications
Renewable energy enables enormous resource
savings
The growing market of information and
communication technologies requires diligent
resource management
Products
Food – requires an analysis of production and
consumption
Transportation – infrastructure has more efficiency potential than engine-driven systems
Strategies
Product development needs to be aligned
with resource efficiency goals
Business models have to follow resource
efficiency goals: product-service-systems (PSS)
require revision
Table 1: The key areas of action with potential to increase resource
efficiency (Rohn et al. 2010)
Different obstacles might prevent the examination of resource efficiency potentials (Baron et al. 2005):
t There is insufficient knowledge about new materials
and processes providing higher resource efficiency.
t Risks are perceived associated with switching from existing production processes to more material efficient
production processes.
t Resource efficiency gains can often be realised only
by looking at the entire value chain. However, this demands a new kind of intense cooperation of multiple
actors involved.
t There are wrong or missing financial incentives (e.g.
by focussing on partial costs) and only short-term
operation options.
The publication at hand aims at contributing to overcoming these constraints by concentrating on the problem of
lack of knowledge about resource efficiency as a major
challenge for achieving resource efficiency.
1.2 The project Resource Efficiency Atlas
Resource efficiency is a topic that is being discussed more
and more intensively in Germany in recent years. A range
of federal and state funding activities as well as societal
initiatives have emerged, motivated by rising energy- and
resource prices, scarcity of resources and the increasing importance of sustainable economic activity within the context of global warming. The awareness of new technological solutions contributing to increased resource efficiency
levels is widely supported by past and current studies (e.g.
in the “MaRess” project, Rohn et al. 2010). However, a strategic perspective on resource efficiency within technological
developments can rarely be observed in Germany. In contrast there is a strong international trend towards introducing resource efficiency as a strategic topic for technological
development: For instance, in the Technology Platforms of
the European Union, the Cleaner Production Centres and in
countries such as Japan and the USA – very often under the
heading “Green Tech” or “Clean Technologies”.
In this context, the primary aim of the project Resource Efficiency Atlas was to identify and evaluate products and
technologies with high resource efficiency potential (leading products and technologies) on a global level. Specific
implementation examples for general principles have been
investigated and prepared. The analysis was focused on a
European context. Additionally, countries with assumed
technological advantages in selected areas such as Japan
and the USA have been covered. The developments of lowtech solutions as well as solutions, which are processed in
developing countries, were not explicitly included in the
research. However, this does not preclude that some of the
identified solutions are relevant for developing countries.
Another task of the project was to assess the potential
contribution of identified products and technologies to innovation policy action fields for sustainable development.
In addition to that, courses of action for a better implementation of the identified technologies have been developed
within the German national context. Afterwards, the generated results have been discussed and validated with experts and stakeholders in a workshop.
The project started with an analysis (desk research) of existing publications, studies, technology platforms, strategies as well as further materials focusing on resource efficiency and innovative technologies. Thereby, aside from
searching for relevant technologies and products, relevant
international renowned experts were identified. During
the selection process of the experts, emphasis was placed
on a wide range of all areas such as application, research
and development, and politics as well as selected industry
sectors and topics. In interviews, 17 experts (see appendix) were questioned about issues related to, for example,
opportunities and risks of the implementation of resource
efficiency. Furthermore, it was necessary to identify resource efficiency enhancing products and technologies
within selected industry sectors and topics as well as their
potentials.
The main target group of the survey were the Cleaner
Production Centres operating in 43 countries worldwide as
well as comparable institutions abroad. The integrated and
comparative evaluation of the results provided strategic
approaches for the implementation of identified resource
efficient technologies and resource efficient products in
Germany as a contribution for sustainable development.
A workshop with stakeholders and resource efficiency experts from science, politics, and associations was organized in order to discuss the results of the first phase of the
project and their options of utilization. The results of the
workshop were incorporated into the final version of the
examples and the Resource Efficiency Atlas.
A general aim of all activities within the project was a
broad dissemination of results; this should be continued
beyond the project’s scope. For this purpose, a project
website, which is available in both German and English
(www.ressourceneffizienzatlas.de) was created, where further best practice examples are described apart from the
existing print version. Moreover, the distribution of results
took place in workshops, presentations, special events,
publication of results in specialized, corresponding committees and networks (e.g. Eco-innovation Observatory,
Factor X network, Resource efficient network).
9
Chapter 1: Developing resource efficient technologies and products – a global challenge
1.3 The structure of the Resource Efficiency Atlas
An essential outcome of the Resource Efficiency Atlas
project is the document at hand consisting of three main
chapters:
In the first part of chapter 2, conclusions from the interviews with international experts on resource efficient
technologies and products are presented. The process of
searching for innovative and resource efficient products
and technologies is presented with an overview of the results in chapter 2.2. A detailed presentation can be found in
the online database accompanying this printed version of
the Atlas (www.ressourceneffizienzatlas.de).
10
Some of these products and technologies, 21 in total, are
described in greater detail in chapter 3. An overview of
these examples of resource efficient products and technologies is given at the pages 24 and 25.
In chapter 4, conclusions of a SWOT-Analysis are presented
giving information about the strengths and weaknesses as
well as opportunities and risks of developing resource efficient technologies. Moreover, courses of action are suggested on how developing and using resource efficient
technologies and products could be promoted in Germany.
2 Resource efficiency potentials
in focus of research
As described in chapter 1.2 the Resource Efficiency Atlas
aims at identifying and evaluating potentials arising from
resource-efficient products and technologies with emphasis put on the integration of international perspectives.
Chapter 2 begins with the presentation of international
experts’ opinions on resource efficiency aspects.
The second part of this chapter includes the procedure
for collecting international good practice examples of
resource efficient key products, technologies and strategies. It describes both findings and difficulties in terms of
identifying and evaluating these examples. In addition, an
overview of the results of the collected examples is given.
2.1 International experts’ perspective on resource efficiency
As part of the project Resource Efficiency Atlas a number
of interviews were held with international experts. The
purpose of these interviews was to obtain an overview of
the general understanding of resource efficiency, main potentials, possible prospective developments and obstacles,
and success factors in the implementation of resource efficiency in an international context. In total 17 interviews
were conducted. A compilation of names and contact details of the interviewed experts are listed in the appendix.
The results of the survey, based on the four interview sections “understanding and importance of resource efficiency”, “potential estimation of resource efficiency”, “possible
future developments” and “cross-cutting themes“ as well
as “implementation of resource efficiency”, are presented
in the following:
Understanding and importance of resource
efficiency (interview part 1)
Within the context of major global challenges such as demographic trends, climate change, and resource scarcity,
the interviews showed that resource efficiency is mainly
considered as one of the key global strategies for economic
activity. There is consensus on a tightened shortage of primary resources considering rapidly increasing demand for
resources. There is a need for resource efficiency – a concept to achieve the same performance with geologically
limited resources to serve the same number of people. The
objective is to maximize the use of existing resources.
According to the interviewed experts, already for decades, there are a number of scientific publications and
capabilities available in various disciplines concerning
this topic. The publications illustrate possible instruments,
methods, and solutions that can support the increase of
resource efficiency at different levels. Even in the public
debate, the issue is on the daily agenda. For this reason,
most of the experts agree that responsible resource management is fundamental. However, there are differences in
opinions concerning questions of implementation and several focal points. Here, the regional and discipline-related
interests are natural determinants.
Economic gains or benefits are the key driving factors for
resource efficiency. In many countries, there is concern
about reducing dependencies on imported raw materials – hence, they secure the control of resources and their
11
Chapter 2: Resource efficiency potentials in focus of research
availability. Recent geo-political activities of several countries, such as China, which occupy strategic raw material
deposits in the long term, generate large uncertainties.
However, the pursued measures differ highly from each
other depending on the type of resources. While the energy-related issues such as renewable energy or energy efficiency obtain wide recognition, material efficiency on the
other hand has little importance in some areas. Some experts state that material efficiency is an important field of
research, because it contains potentials beyond all valuechain phases from the development, production, removal
up to recycling. Here, it is imperative to develop alternatives with long-term and lifecycle comprehensive perspectives. In the meantime, respectable efforts are needed to
make additional use of alternative (secondary) sources for
selected commodities, such as phosphorus and copper or
strategically important and rare metals/earths. In some
countries, especially in those with low fossil fuel reserves,
the security of energy supply is directly connected with
growth and wealth, which makes energy efficiency a top
priority.
Increased efficiency associated with economic advantages
is seen as economic motivation for resource efficiency.
Thus, resource efficiency gains practical relevance due to
high material and energy consumption costs. An attempt
is made to reduce the direct cost and to increase efficiency.
Costs are a central control parameter for many companies,
because only a few pursue a long-term non-price orientation. Considering the debate about companies developing
towards greater resource efficiency, for example by using
alternative technologies, companies especially require an
effort-reduced and at the same time reliable decision support, in form of an assessment of available technologies.
Most companies perceive sustainable economic activity to
create “win-win-situations”. However, the global economy
does still not include external costs resulting from environmental influences in prices. This non-reliable cost internalization remains a major problem for economies attempting
to achieve resource efficiency.
12
From the societal point of view, the experts focus on human
needs and natural basic conditions. Thus, the following
questions are important here:
t How can technology improve people’s lives?
t Is there a consistent connection between benefits and
needs?
t Has an intelligent production process taken place
considering long-term effects and performance
parameters?
The need for a sustainable utilization of existing resources
without unnecessary pressures on the ecosystems and
the human environment is becoming more important.
Within this context, particularly at the international level,
transboundary pollution to other countries along global
value chains should be avoided. The overall reduction of
negative effects, particularly the risk of so-called “reboundeffects” 1 which constitute an unintended and unforeseen
negative consequence (high resource consumption, emissions) of a new, efficient solution by itself, has to be taken
into account. The uncertainty of this risk increases if a new
solution requires a strong intervention in the existing system. Thus, for example, according to one expert, there is
a high potential in resource savings and less risks for rebound-effects in a technology called “digital power”. This
technology is used for optimized control of several different devices for the existing power grid and thus, savings
can be achieved simply when integrated into the existing
infrastructure. Conversely, it is necessary to search for the
implementation of positive rebound-effects in order to
lock in the potential effective savings.
In this combination, according to the experts, the research
is perceived as the “saviour” or at least a “motor” to generate new solutions for resource efficiency. A variety of
current global research and development activities creating new products, services, technologies or concepts are
considered as indirect or direct requirements that can
be derived from efficient resource handling. Indirect in
this context means, for example, possible savings can be
1 A rebound effect occurs when savings through higher technology
efficiency are overcompensated by the increased use/consumption of that same technology. (Jenkins et al. 2011; Schettkat 2009)
obtained by a newly developed technology, although this
was not initially intended. Such potentials will be detected,
implemented and actively communicated more frequently,
for example, if more funding is available. This especially
applies to sectors such as aviation and space technology,
where such issues have been overlooked so far. In the
meantime, it is to note that a variety of research activities
are already contributing to resource efficiency; it is incorporated as a cross-cutting issue. These research activities
should be strengthened further.
All in all, the experts phrase a similar understanding and
define similar motivational factors for resource efficiency
as it can be observed in Germany. These are, for example,
positive economic effects, reduction of dependencies on
limited resources, and, reduction of negative environmental consequences. Only the priorities are not congruent.
According to many experts, these different perspectives
and interests concerning this subject need to be highlighted and taken into account during the development of
measures.
Potential estimations for key areas
(interview part 2)
The experts confirm the high importance of technologies
to reduce the consumption of resources worldwide. Disagreement is only present concerning range and stimuli of
change of a solely or mainly technology-oriented focus.
Consensus is reached among all experts on the outstanding resource efficiency potentials of the technology fields
introduced in chapter 3. However, technologies can only
develop their full potential if the underlying framework
provides suitable conditions.
Most experts consider two different approaches for saving resources. First of all, it is possible to develop relevant
technologies. Secondly, technical applications for a particular area can be developed. For example, information
and communication technology (ICT) helps new generations of computers to consume even less energy and require fewer resources in the field of “Green IT”. On the other
hand, ICT supports increased energy efficiency by using an
intelligent control of power supply (smart grid) from different sources. In this context, the experts mention particularly relevant priority fields for which special solutions should
be developed. These will be described in the following.
One priority field is energy supply and use. Globally, alternative energy technologies (such as solar, wind, and bio-fuels), depending on the regional conditions, are being used.
For this, an intelligent energy management (energy production and transportation) is required. These include the
realization of high performance and high-efficient power
systems or leaps of efficiency in the area of electricity. It is
necessary to accomplish increased efficiency both at converting primary sources into electricity and transporting
generated electricity to the final consumer. According to
some experts, it is most important to generate low-carbon
energy, to achieve a low-carbon future. Some experts say
that in sectors, such as transportation, heating, lighting
and industry, much energy is wasted. In the future, some
technological developments will have a bigger impact
on the efficient use of energy. The Green IT, for example,
increasingly focuses on energy issues. In general, energysaving production systems are increasingly common in the
industrial sector. Powered by the economy and increased
social awareness, the importance of green technologies for
buildings also increases, because energy savings are highly
valued. In some countries, according to the experts, various
projects for infrastructure and mobility (e.g. electric mobility) are entering the market. Generally, the experts recognize some positive effects on the labour markets, because
of newly created tasks.
Biotechnology and utilization of renewable resources are considered as another priority. The particular evaluation of appropriate technological solutions in individual areas varies.
In the USA there is a general acceptance of biotechnology
in the food industry, whereas this is a highly controversial
issue in Europe. That is why the associated resource efficiency potentials are easier to be implemented in the USA.
The change from an industry based on crude oil derivates
to biochemical-produced derivates is foreseeable for most
13
of the international experts. Gradual developments such as
the “bio-processing” will gain acceptance in industrial production, as it is now in some parts of the pharmaceutical
industry. In agriculture, the question of how to preserve
the long-term productivity of the soil is becoming more
and more important. Moreover, it is necessary to use renewable raw materials (wood, agricultural products) in a
more efficient way, for example in form of a cascade utilisation. Due to limited agricultural area, improved system
productivity is needed in order to ensure worldwide food
supply. It is necessary to strengthen the competitiveness of
bio-based products.
The third current priority area is seen in recycling. Here,
possible recycling systems, recycling of rare and special
resources, “trash mining” or “landfill mining”, and better circulation models are topics, which are approached in several particularly resource-poor countries. According to the
experts, recycling is an aspect that is also relevant for the
construction sector. Throughout the recycling process, it is
necessary to examine which key parameters on the production side are particularly significant for the utilization
of resources. This already takes place, for example, on the
material level with steel, wood and concrete. Furthermore,
it is necessary to optimize the respective correlations between resource consumption and environmental effects.
Possible future developments and
cross-cutting issues (interview part 3)
The previously mentioned priority areas and related issues
are likely to remain significant in the future. In some cases,
new areas will evolve or create entirely new tasks. Corresponding developments are related to changing conditions. Thus, mega-trends such as population growth and
urbanization as well as an increasing flexibility in the way
of life will have a strong influence on needs, which in turn
must be satisfied by technology. In the near future – in ten
years or more – the following issues will gain importance
according to the experts.
t
Converging technologies
The interdisciplinary cooperation in the field of nanotechnology, biotechnology, and information technology as well as neurosciences is called converging technologies (CT). Progress in the combination of these
areas will create ethical and social concerns, but will
also enable environmental opportunities.
t
Food/Nutrition
Current food production patterns cannot provide sufficient supply for a globally growing population. Synthetic biology, bio-processing and transgenic research
offers solutions for the future food and energy demand
and, therefore, will play a role. Thus, for example, new
crops and chemicals for plant treatment need to be developed. Moreover, according to individual experts, it
seems necessary to incorporate genetically modified
food. However, this leads to the social problem of public acceptance, because some societies, for example the
Japanese, are critically opposed to genetically modified products. The use of arable land for growing corn
used for biofuels substituting fossil energy feedstock
remains to be further discussed.
t
Resource efficiency technologies to mitigate climate
change
Global attention to climate change has increased considerably in recent years. However, from the experts’
In addition, there are various other topics, such as new,
resource-efficient materials; most of them are currently researched or in use already.
14
point of view, current data and awareness of the interactions between climate change and resource use are
still unsatisfactory. Apart from the energy issue, solutions for changing water supply should be developed
based on specific factors such as, for example, extreme
meteorological events, demographics or trends in agricultural land use. Sustainable agriculture is becoming
more and more important, not only in terms of climate
change, but also particularly due to questions concerning the competition of land use between energy and
food industries. New pathogens supported by climate
change (e.g. insect-transmitted infections) are an additional challenge. For mitigating of climate change, low
carbon solutions are preferred.
t
Water efficiency
According to one of the experts, water will have the
same meaning in the future as energy has today. There
is already a growing fear of water scarcity because it
is assumed that droughts will increase in numbers
and severity in some regions due to climate change. A
modernized infrastructure resistant to extreme weather
conditions can foster a more efficient use of water resources. At this time, improved irrigation systems as
well as a more efficient configuration of wastewater
treatment can be helpful.
t
Decentralization
The desire for independence and new technological
options lead to decentralization on various levels. For
example, energy independent buildings are aspired to
obtain a “wireless” house without any supply lines. The
required demand of energy is covered by on-site solar
panels. In the field of “production of goods” a change
from “clean production” to a decentralized production
becomes apparent.
t
Social networks
This aspect concerns the reorganization of the modern lifestyle. Social networks can be helpful, for example, to identify nearby solutions and to get additional
information. Even a simple access to “green” solutions
and “do-it-yourself” instructions will gain importance.
In general, the social awareness of “green” technologies
will continue to increase.
Implementation of resource efficiency
(interview part 4)
The interviewed experts agree on the fact that resource
efficiency is an important issue, though obstacles and success factors for implementation need to be considered.
Thus, at the beginning of implementing measures, decisions have to be made for which a solid information base is
needed. This information should be carefully analysed by
focussing on issues such as, for example, cost, availability of
personnel and financial resources (e.g. are the home owners financially capable of and willing to make their home
more energy efficient?). Some decision-making processes
should be made automatically instead of leaving it to the
home owners, as people often do not act in line with optimal efficiency. For example, the choke used in automobiles
was handled manually in the past and more inefficiently
than it is controlled nowadays (automatic). The experts emphasize that the implementation of resource efficiency depends on economic, structural and geopolitical conditions.
Figure 4 gives an overview of the determining factors for
the implementation of resource efficiency from the experts
view. Multiple responses were allowed in the survey.
For the implementation of resource efficiency, the following factors were identified as being of great importance
in many interviews: legislation, public funding for research
and development, consideration of resource-efficient quality factors in business processes, and availability of personnel. Besides, considering the value chain and possessing
specific knowledge to assess the entire value chain as well
as using new potential technologies were often stated as
influencing factors for implementing resource efficiency.
Other little less important influencing factors are the public
opinion and social demands. Medium importance was assigned by the experts to the adjustment to external factors
(e.g. climate change). According to several experts, venture
15
Determining factors
Public opinion
Regional enterprise and research clusters
Venture capital
Need of reaction to external factors (e.g. climate change)
Standards related to resource efficiency
High importance
Societal demand
Average importance
Reluctance of changing existing processes by implementing
resource efficient solutions
Low importance
Private resources for R&D
Attention on value chains and thus e.g. internationalisation
Resources and time (to identify information about
available technologies, process and methods)
Critical mass in staff availability
Knowledge (to assess and evaluate the potential
of new technologies and to adopt new technologies)
Business practices include performance criteria related to resource efficiency
Public R&D funds
Legislation/regulation
26 %
0
2
4
6
8
10
Numbers of mentions
Figure 4: Determining factors for the implementation of resource efficiency (Number of times mentioned in the 17 interviews)
capital has a minor importance in the implementation of
resource efficiency.
In the following, statements from the interviews to four
actor-related factors of implementing resource efficiency
(research, industry, politics and society) are summed up.
In general, research plays a central role in the implementation of resource efficiency. Expected challenges emerge
from its inter- and multidisciplinary nature, which is, however, important and increasingly necessary for this field
of research. Therefore, representatives from business and
society have to be involved in scientific research. The approach of the interface management could make an important contribution. It connects expert knowledge to
solve issues, chances and problems of the real world. According to the interviewed experts, the international cooperation for all technology developments is increasingly
important. Therefore, it should be possible to ensure a
transfer of technology for resource efficiency. Some future
topics, such as the recycling of construction material, will
increasingly become a social challenge instead of being
16
an engineering or scientific challenge; thus, it will become
a multi-disciplinary challenge, because the implementation of existing potentials can only be reached by systemic
changes and behavioural changes, based on simple and
open access to “green solutions” as well as their stronger
and wider distribution. However, there is a lack of relevant
experts established in this field. It is necessary to create
resource efficiency networks for bundling and developing
necessary expertise.
According to the experts’ opinions, there are still problems related to the topic of resource efficiency in the German research landscape. One of them is, for example,
a mainly third parties funding of quality research and,
therefore, an increased influence of the industry on these
research projects. In this way, it is very difficult to conduct
required multi-disciplinary research. Funding institutions
often fall back to traditional patterns, where complex issues such as resource efficiency are optimized only in one
direction rather than optimizing the entire system.
Despite these difficulties, the topic “resources” is increasingly dealt with at important international universities. This
is an indication for the growing importance of resources
in the area of research. At the same time it suggests, that
the issue has not been established yet but will arrive in the
economy in about 10 to 15 years.
not used due to the lack of demand. In the field of ecoinnovations, the question arises of how much market the
industry can generate by itself or how much it depends on
the framework conditions.
In general, industry is seen as “realizer” in the implementation of resource efficiency. International cooperation
is a main success factor even for the industry in order to
successfully implement resource efficiency. An example
is the use of available recycling know-how of respective
Japanese companies. Industries must pursue a global approach. In value-added networks the treatment of resource
efficiency should succeed together with the global players
and thereby create a clear connection between resource
efficiency and competitiveness.
Still, barriers exist to invest in resource efficiency innovations in many companies (e.g. in the construction sector).
The modification of existing processes is problematic, even
if the payback period can be relatively short. Only where
the implementation of resource efficiency requires a small
effort (such as substitutes of investments in energy), innovations are currently implemented.
The topic of resource efficiency can gain importance in
terms of economic benefits, when it is measured by economic metrics. That way, appropriate data should be put
in relation to costs or shareholder value. Generally, companies should explore resource efficiency options, because
many of them expect benefits from them.
In order to accomplish this, the economic thinking
should change according to the experts: environmentally
friendly product design and a product-related environmental management can be considered as a model and implemented accordingly. Therefore, it is necessary to allocate
the required assessment systems with established communication skills. A more intensive communication also serves
to spread the available knowledge in large companies.
Raising demand for efficient solutions is needed for an
extensive implementation. Here new business, production
and consumption models could play a supporting role (e.g.
mass customization). There are already many resource-efficient technologies ready to be used; however, they are
An important role for the implementation of resource efficiency is attributed to politics providing suitable frameworks.
Thus, a successful implementation of efficient technologies
depends on complying with existing requirements set by
the different authorities. This possibility of control and
influence needs to be used to strengthen the implementation of resource efficiency. Politics is required to review
the existing regional and national requirements and their
implementation. Many of the statutory basic conditions appear not to be adapted for the current challenge. A revision
of existing environmental laws and contracts should take
place with a global perspective.
Meaningful integration of various themes (e.g. water, air,
soil or chemicals) should take place, whereby a harmonised
use of the term “resources” supports the promotion of resource efficiency. Globally, it is important to consider that
a few countries such as China and the U.S. will claim most
of the global fossil resources in the future with the result
that new strategies are necessary. In the fields of climate
and energy there are already many legal regulations such
as emission trading; but in the field of resource efficiency,
such regulation is mostly missing. Thus, the Kyoto Protocol
might be used as blueprint for changes at process level being implemented in a relatively short period of time. Similar
arrangements should take place in the field of resource efficiency soon.
It is a political task to provide appropriate incentives and
instruments. For example, the legislation has an important
role in increasing the efficiency of regulated monopolies
(e.g. electricity grids). At the same time, the diversity of
regulation complicates radical changes. The development
of legislation determines the rules companies must meet in
the future. These “external” factors arising from regulations
are the central impetus for research, especially for monopolies. Furthermore, there are fiscal instruments, e.g. tax
breaks for investments in the environment, encouraging
17
the development of resource-efficient technologies. Consequently, the role of state and the state funding should
not be underestimated for the implementation of resource
efficiency.
Politics should be able to succeed in achieving comprehensive awareness-building through positive incentives.
This should include media coverage, whereby precise
strategies, incentives and signals can be set. Here, a lack of
political will and practical implementation can be observed
so far. The interviewed experts criticize that it is partially
not easy to receive respective funding for applied research
projects on resource efficiency.
A large-scale “efficiency increase” in developing countries with large resource efficiency potentials should be initiated. Here, the long-term benefits of resource efficiency
should be considered and must not be neglected at the
expense of other short-term priorities and lack of incentives. Frequently, these countries with a low-income population require a different political focus. Synergies between
resource efficiency and poverty reduction are harder to acquire and communicate.
18
The role of society as an important push-factor has been
indicated previously under the already described perspective of the multidisciplinary nature of research. According
to many interviewed experts, it is to create a change in
many areas of society from a purely technology-oriented
research paradigm to a perspective, which includes “soft”
requirements, for instance, from the area of social sciences.
Here, the question arises how people adopt new technologies. The change in human behaviour is frequently seen as
a factor that is hard to be influenced. Thus, more solutions
should be developed in the future. In this regard, it is important to identify driving factors for human behaviour. According to the interviewed experts it is necessary to create
an understanding of the “real value” of resources in society.
Since the price for many products steadily decreases, people forget their “value”.
This applies especially to countries with only low levels of environmental awareness. Accordingly, it is unclear
whether societal demands can be major driving forces for
resource efficiency. The topic of resource efficiency is indeed advanced into the consciousness of a broad social
stratum, but the willingness to change the own lifestyle is
often missing.
Opinion leaders and intermediaries play a central role in
the public opinion building process. So it is crucial to determine how the management can be convinced to adress
the topic of resource efficiency.
2.2 The identification of resource efficiency examples for practical
application
In order to identify examples for practical application with
high potential for resource efficiency, potentially interesting examples for technologies and products were screened
(see figure 5). For the selection process a method mix of two
core areas was chosen: desk research and expert involvement. The desk research included Internet research, analysis and evaluation of literature as well as statements from
stakeholders. As already described in chapter 1.2, the focus
was set on Europe, with additional examples from North
America and Japan. The innovation- and technology analysis (ITA) was used as a conceptual method (BMBF 2001),
which helped identifying key questions regarding innovation, action, and future orientation.
To further increase the amount of examples, a “Call for
Posters“ was organised during an international conference
in September 2009 aimed at exchanging resource efficiency examples. As result four additional examples could be
collected, from which only two were of sufficient relevance
for the Resource Efficiency Atlas. In order to guarantee the
multitude and versatility of examples in the atlas the project partners researched and prepared additional examples
themselves. Here the coverage of different technological
fields, different technologies, results of the expert interviews, a review of the European technology platforms and
literature were considered.
The preliminary research results provided the focal points
for the expert interviews and were used for selecting relevant experts from the application, research and development fields according to the relevant topics. They were
questioned about resource efficiency in specific fields and
their exemplary application. In addition to the expert interviews, questionnaires to identify resource efficiency methods were distributed to research organisations, companies,
and intermediaries in Europe and other selected countries
(especially North America and Japan) worldwide.
Next to gathering general information about potential
examples, the questionnaire aimed at gathering qualitative
and quantitative information on the resource efficiency
potential, economically relevant information (i.e. market
potential), and information on implementing resource efficiency through an assessment of risks. The questionnaire
was sent to approx. 700 addresses. In response only 25 examples could be obtained, from which only 16 were relevant for the Resource Efficiency Atlas. Simultaneously, in
order to obtain examples for the atlas, flyers were actively
distributed during scientific conferences and other professional events in Germany as well as in Europe or generally
via the website www.wupperinst.org/rea.
Method for gathering examples
for resource efficiency
Production and consumption are the key drivers of global
resource requirements. Therefore, the focus of the Resource Efficiency Atlas project is not only on research of
technologies, but also on products and broadly applicable
strategies. Based on the previously systemized search fields
and research results the following additional subcategories
were identified (see figure 6).
Selection and description of the examples
The results of the screening process (approx. 350 examples) were evaluated. Relevant examples (21 cases) were
selected for this publication as well as for the Internet (approx. 90-100 cases). All examples were graded based on
a scale from one to six, where one represented best suitability for the atlas. This meant, the following criteria were
considered: high potential for resource efficiency, good
informational background, economical relevance, environmental impact, feasibility and transferability. In order to obtain an unanimous rating as basis for selection, all project
members conducted the grading, upon which the results
were discussed.
19
During the assessment of the resource efficiency potential numerous challenges occurred; i.e. little quantifiable
data on sustainability effects are available. Whereas, for
example, technical data in the early development stages
are often available from provider, only assumptions can
be made about the use-phase or possible rebound effects.
Therefore, even if sustainability effects cannot be measured, foreseeable risks and opportunities should at least
be mentioned in the Resource Efficiency Atlas.
Aiming at collecting approx. 90 to 100 examples, from almost 350 collected examples, only those with grades one
and two were selected for the Resource Efficiency Atlas.
These were then thoroughly researched and commented
on by the manufacturer or developer. Thus, the majority of
examples are based merely on own research, excluding a
few submitted examples.
Figure 5: Methodology off selection
l ti process (Illustration
(Ill t ti by
b authors)
th )
20
Finally, the selected examples for resource efficiency were
described in a consistent manner. Hence, for each identified technology, product, and strategy the resource fields
of potentially improved efficiency in material, energy, water, and surface fields were selected. According to these
fields a qualitative analysis about resource efficiency was
performed and as far as data could be researched a rough
estimate in quantitative terms followed as well. Consequently, a description about the chances and risks as
well as potential appraisal was made (see chapter 3 for the
examples).
Figure 6: Overview of sectors for resource efficient measures derived
from the screening results (Illustration by authors)
Results of the screening
It is evident that the majority of the 92 selected examples
for the Resource Efficiency Atlas come from Europe and
Asia, followed by North America (see figure 7). In particular,
the majority of examples come from Germany, Japan, and
Austria, followed by USA and the UK (see figure 8).
Amongst the examples linking to strategies the majority of examples are for redesign and re-use strategies, followed by the new production and consumption pattern
strategy (see figure 9).
Within the technology field, many examples could be
found for materials, followed by energy technologies and
production and manufacturing technologies. Just a few
examples have been collected for the environmental technologies and biotechnologies. Nano technologies are represented with three examples and microsystems technologies with one (see figure 10).
Lastly, the majority of product examples are for buildings and housing, followed by a few product examples for
transport, food and textile products (see figure 11).
While gathering relevant examples, a number of insights
were gained. They can be summarised as follows:
t There is a multitude of examples available varying
from high to low tech, from an idea to an already established/developed product/method, from partial
solution to a complete system. The examples cover
many application fields including examples with high
resource requirements (transportation or building and
housing). There is an above average amount of energy
efficiency examples.
t
Although the spectrum of examples is very wide, there
is little variance in regards to the origin of the examples. This could indicate potential leading countries
21
or regions in the field of resource efficiency. However,
based on the amount of chosen examples and the
regional focus of the research, no valid general statements about regional innovation forces can be made.
t
22
Only very few examples are described comprehensively, especially outside of Europe. An exception to this is
Japan, however, here the greater focus is on energy efficiency. The European technology platforms provide
only limited information on specific example descriptions and resource efficiency potential.
t
The evaluation is often not quantified or only based
on manufacturer’s data. The potential of a specific application is only described at a very generic level, if at
all. Very differing methods are used to determine and
describe the potentials for resource efficiency.
t
Barriers and risks such as rebound-effects are usually
left out. This is true not only for the manufacturer information, but also for already existing resource efficiency
example websites.
t
The 92 examples for the Resource Efficiency Atlas have
their main focus in the field of technologies on production and manufacturing technologies, energy technologies, and materials; in the field of products on buildings
and housing and in the field of strategies on redesign
and re-use as well as new production and consumption
patterns.
t
Information on certain cases, for example from the
Asian region, were only available in their native language. This limits their international diffusion. They
could be translated for the Resource Efficiency Atlas
only in exceptional cases.
N-America
Product-Service-System
(use-phase)
Europe
Inclusion of RE into standards
Asia
New production and
consumption patterns
Africa
Redesign and Re-use
0
10
20
30
40
Number of examples
50
60
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Number of examples
Figure 7: Distribution of the 92 resource efficiency examples according to continents (Illustration by authors)
Figure 9: Distribution of the 12 resource efficiency examples within
the strategy field (Illustration by authors)
Microsystem technologies
USA
Nano technologies
Hungary
UK
Biotechnologies
South Africa
Environmental technologies
Spain
Singapore
Production and manufacturing
technologies
Switzerland
Energy technologies
Sweden
Materials
Austria
0
3
Netherlands
6
9
Number of examples
12
15
12
15
Canada
the technology field (Illustration by authors)
Japan
Italy
Ireland
France/USA
Germany
0
5
10
15
Number of examples
20
25
Optics
IT and Communication
Figure 8: Distribution of the 92 resource efficiency examples according to countries of origin (Illustration by authors)
Food
Textiles
Transport and Traffic
Buildings and Housing
0
3
6
9
Number of examples
the product field (Illustration by authors)
23
3 Resource efficiency in research and
practice: 21 examples
One of the main goals of the Resource Efficiency Atlas project is to identify and consistently describe resource efficiency
examples. The following chapter portrays a selection of 21 examples from the 92 identified examples in order to illustrate
the characteristics of the identified examples and their variability concerning different technological fields, products
groups, strategies, and regions1. This page provides an overview of the selected 21 examples. All 92 examples are described at the project Internet platform www.ressourceneffizienzatlas.de.
1 The information has been gathered during the course of the project. Changes in the meantime or mistakes might occur despite careful
research.
1 Magenn Air Rotor System
M.A.R.S. is a mobile wind-power
plant producing energy in large
heights (approx. 300 m) where wind
velocities can reach from approx. 6
to 100 km/h.
Rsee more on page 26
9 Vertical Farming
Vertical Farming allows the production of vegetable and animal
products in the city. Instead of agricultural production on the field or
in conventional greenhouses and
farms, it takes place in multi-story
buildings in the city.
18 Repa & Service Mobil
Repair services can be made more
popular and attractive with mobile
repairing points and service points.
The aim is to make all goods more
competitive in comparison with easy
accessible, cheap and new goods.
Thereby resources should be saved
and waste avoided.
15 Dyeing Bath Re-use via Laser
Spectroscopy
Because of high water consumption
and water pollution, dyeing of textiles is environmentally harmful. A
new method uses laser technology in
order to enable dyeing bath reuse.
19 Chemical leasing
Pay for services, not products. This
concept aims at an efficient use of
chemicals – a business model, from
which everyone involved can profit.
20 NISP-Networking for
Sustainability
With the National Industrial Symbioses Programme (NISP) Great Britain
shows how industries can profit from
one another’s know-how through
local partnerships – with the aim of
reducing the environmental impact
and strengthening the business.
24
21 Gravel for future generations
Each year the construction industry
uses large quantities of material.
Cities, however, offer an enormous
stock of unused resources; many elements of construction waste can be
recycled. The most prominent problem: the image of waste.
4 “High Tech Teabag” for drinking
water preparation
At the South African Stellenbosch
University bags are developed, which
absorb and remove impurities in the
water. The water is cleaned while
flowing through the “Tea-bag”, which
is attached to the bottle.
2 Groasis Waterboxx
Groasis Waterboxx supports the
growth of young plants under arid
conditions (e.g. in deserts or on gravel soils) without using electricity or
large amounts of groundwater.
6 Higher Energy Efficiency
by using high-tech steel
By using a newly developed strip
casting technology, steel with excellent strength and deformation
properties can be manufactured with
improved energy efficiency. New alloys based on steel arouse particular
interest of the automotive industry
in regards to body construction.
3 Seewater Greenhouse
The functionality of conventional
greenhouses is reversed in the Seawater Greenhouse. Here, sea water
serves as a cooling system of the
greenhouse allowing for the cultivation of vegetables and fruits even
in dry regions, which normally are
unsuitable for agricultural use. The
necessary water is obtained via an
integrated sea water desalination
plant.
7 Green Cement
Scientists of the Karlsruhe Institute of
Technology have developed a “green
cement“, a new type of hydraulic
binder, during which’s production
up to 50 percent of the conventional
CO2 emissions can be saved.
5 THECLA: Thermoelectricity in
Clathrate
In order to convert waste heat into
usable electricity, the thermoelectric
efficiency of materials with promising thermoelectric characteristics
is optimized within an Austrian research project.
11 SkySails – the Wind Propulsion
System
SkySails is a towing kite propulsion
system for cargo ships. Depending
on the wind conditions, approximately 10 – 35 percent annual fuel
savings can be achieved, which implies lower exhaust emissions.
10 Xeros – Washing without Water
British researchers are currently developing a washing machine, which
needs only one glass of water. Reusable plastic balls are used to suck
stains off the clothes and get them
fresh again. Additionally, this procedure saves energy, as there is no drying of the clothes needed.
8 Aquamarine Power
Scottish developers present a wave
power station at the coast feeding an
onshore turbine via offshore pumping stations. An enormous flap uses
the power of the ocean for transformation in electric current.
12 Peepoo
The Peepoo is a self-sanitising, biodegradable, single-use toilet in the
shape of a bag, which serves as a
fertilizer two to four weeks after use.
It is produced to provide maximum
hygiene at minimal cost in order to
supply densely populated urban
slums, refugee or emergency camps
with a safe sanitation solution.
13 Universal Charging Solution
(UCS) for mobile phones
In February 2009 the initiative to develop a uniform charging device for
mobile phones was announced, inviting all mobile phone manufacturers to join in. The charger should fulfil the USB-IF standards (USB Implementer’s Forum) and the first models
were produced already in 2010.
17 Toshiba “Factor T” Website
Until the end of 2007, 80 percent of
Toshiba products had a calculated
ecological efficiency in comparison
with internal Toshiba-productbenchmarks. A website demonstrates the progress at glance. The
aim is to calculate a ’’Factor T“ for
each Toshiba product until 2010.
14 Environmentally friendly potato
processing method
A fermentation process enables a
closed loop blanching in the potato
industry. With a sugar-removingtechnology it is possible to recycle
most of the process water, reduce
energy and raw material usage during potato processing.
16 S-House – building with Factor 10
Innovative building and technical
concepts do not only consider the
energy consumption but also the
lifecycle-wide resource requirements.
Instead of building with resource-intensive materials, here, straw is used
for building.
25
Examples for resource efficiency | Technologies | Energy technologies
Technologies
Production and
manufacturing
technologies
Microsystem
technologies
Biotechnologies
Nano-technologies
Materials
Environmental
technologies
Energy
technologies
M.A.R.S. is the first wind power station for high altitudes worldwide
Magenn Air Rotor System (M.A.R.S.)
M.A.R.S. is a mobile, largely location-independent wind power station, which generates energy
at altitudes of approximately 300 meters and at wind speeds of 6 to approximately 100 km/h.
Resource Efficiency
Illustration of M.A.R.S wind turbines (Source: © Chris Radisch)
In order to reach high altitudes, M.A.R.S. consists of a lightweight wind turbine filled with helium. The turbine rotates
in the wind about a horizontal axis and generates electricity, which is transferred to earth through a tether. This energy can either be used immediately or stored in a battery for
later use. The installation as well as the reallocation of the
station does not require any large construction equipment.
M.A.R.S. is placed in greater hights and, therefore, can
be used in many different areas, unlike conventional wind
power stations. It also costs less and performs better.
Moreover, it produces lower noise emissions and, due to
its three-dimensional shape, it is better visible and, thus,
easier to bypass for bats and birds. The first wind power stations of a 100 kW size should roll out on the market in 2011.
26
Because of the mobile nature of the power station and the
ease of installation, efficiencies can be achieved by installing it in the near vicinity of the user. This would reduce
the loss of electricity caused by long transfer routes to a
minimum. M.A.R.S. can also be used complementary to a
diesel generator. Then, according to the producers, after
exchange rate conversion, the cost of producing electricity
is below 0.15 euro/kWh and, thus, significantly below the
current cost of 0.37 euro/kWh to 0.74 euro/kWh for electricity produced by diesel generators. M.A.R.S. requires only little surface field, because of its construction characteristics.
The great energy yields resulting from the high altitude as
well as from the comparatively resource-low construction
lead to expected low resource requirements per produced
kilowatt-hour. However, a detailed lifecycle analysis and resource efficiency analysis still have to be conducted.
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100-1000 kW
304 m
Magenn Air Rotor System
3 to 7 percent of the station costs annually. In addition,
the helium evaporates at a rate of 6 percent per annum,
requiring a fill-up every 4 to 6 months, which also leads to
extra costs.
Another issue is the energy storage: if the generated energy cannot be used up directly, then the use of M.A.R.S.
depends strongly on further developments in powerful
and efficient electricity storage systems.
5000 kW
125 m
2000 kW
80 m
500 kW
42 m
600 kW
k
50 m
100 kW
50kW 20 m
15 m
1960 1985 1990
1996
2000
2004
2010-2016
M.A.R.S. System and conventional wind turbines
(Source: ubb based on Magenn)
Barriers and Risks
Compared to conventional wind turbines, M.A.R.S. can generate electricity more continuously and reliably, because it
operates in higher altitudes with higher wind speeds. However, the periodicity problem of air streams at this height
(i.e. jet-streams) caused by, for example, seasons still exists.
Therefore, in order to guarantee a continuous supply of
electricity, a battery or connection to other M.A.R.S. stations is required.
There is also a risk for the air traffic at those altitudes and,
thus, the M.A.R.S. station itself. Therefore, M.A.R.S. stations cannot be used in the direct vicinity of airports. The
stations are equipped with a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen)
system, which inform pilots about any changes in the
airspace. Furthermore, the turbines have installed lights
blinking every second. In the case of an emergency, such
as the partition from the tether, the turbine will discharge
the helium automatically. These measures were approved
in Canada, but for the use in other countries an assessment
of the legal basis is required.
Customers have to obtain a permit for installation and use.
They have to buy the helium and battery and also need
to organise the connection on their own. M.A.R.S. offers
only a one year warranty and the maintenance fees add
Potentials
M.A.R.S. poses a good alternative for electricity production
in developing countries or rural, less densely populated areas. It could also be installed on, for example, oil platforms,
mines, islands or be used in agriculture.
The great potential of the wind power stations operating in high altitudes is demonstrated by a recent study
’’Global Assessment of High-Altitude Wind Power“ by Archer and Caldeira (2009) concluding that jet-streams have
the potential of producing hundred times more energy
than the actual global demand.
Further information
tArcher, Caldeira (2009): Global Assessment of
High-Altitude Wind Power.
Magenn Power, Inc.
105 Schneider Road (Wind Mill Center)
Kanata, Ontario, Canada
K2K 1Y3
www.magenn.com
27
Examples for resource efficiency | Technologies | Biotechnologies
Technologies
Production and
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technologies
Microsystem
technologies
Biotechnologies
Nano-technologies
Materials
Environmental
technologies
Energy
technologies
Intelligent water incubator for plant cultivation
Groasis Waterboxx
Groasis Waterboxx from AquaPro supports the growth of young plants under dry conditions
(e.g. in deserts or on gravel soils) without using electricity and with reduced water usage.
methods, despite the achieved lower competing weed
growth next to the plants.
Tree cultivation in difficult locations with Groasis Waterboxx
(Source: © AquaPro)
The Groasis Waterboxx is a water collecting plant incubator
made of plastic with the size of a motorcycle tire. Here, two
small plants or seeds can be planted. Only one watering is
required at the beginning of the planting process. Afterwards rainwater and condensed water is collected in the
box and released to plants. As a result, the following benefits are achieved: water evaporation is reduced, the temperature and humidity levels of the roots are at an improved
level, no artificial irrigation or soil preparation is necessary.
Moreover, according to the producers, the water in the box
remains clean, i.e. algae-free. Another effect achieved is the
improved growth rate of biomass around the Waterboxx, in
moderate climates, which has been observed to increase
by 15 to 30 percent compared to conventional planting
28
As soon as the roots have reached sufficient depth and humidity (in about one year), the plants start to grow more
rapidly and the box can be removed. If both plants have
developed well, the weakest is cut off. The remaining tree is
now strong enough to grow on its own and the free Groasis Waterboxx can be reused for planting another plant. According to the producers, four years of testing have proven
that the success rate reaches almost 90 percent.
The Groasis Waterboxx was named as one of the top ten
global inventions in 2010 by the popular science magazine.
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Resource Efficiency
The Groasis Waterboxx enables the growth of plants with
highly reduced water use. The plants require only one watering of approximately 18 litres, which lasts for one to
two years. Thus, compared to standard planting methods,
whereby a plant consumes about three litres of water per
day, significant water savings can be achieved. Additionally, since there is no need for artificial irrigation systems,
electricity (e.g. for a pump) is saved.
Since this method offers many economical benefits in
comparison with traditional planting methods; operating
costs are low. It could help in the development of specific
regions generating far reaching positive effects. The Groasis Waterboxx has many applications such as growing fruit
trees in Sahara desert in Morocco or planting trees in Barcelona at avenues in order to absorb the respirable dust.
Barriers and Risks
The fact that the Groasis Waterboxx can only be reused 5
– 10 times could generate criticism. In order to determine
the actual resource and water savings from using the Groasis Waterboxx as opposed to traditional planting methods,
detailed analysis of the ecological footprint of both methods should be performed. Furthermore, very young plants
are preferred for the Groasis Waterboxx, which roots still
need to develop. Thus, the limiting factor is the need for
expert assessment about the plant characteristics in order
to determine if the plant would be able to grow successfully on its own even after the Groasis Waterboxx has been
removed.
Potentials
Groasis Waterboxx contributes to solving problems regarding receding groundwater levels, deforestation, erosion, desertification, food shortages and upkeeping water
purity.
Further information
twww.sonnenseite.com (search for: ’’Groasis’’)
twww.presseportal.de (search for: ’’Àquapro
Holland’’)
twww.canna.ch (search for: ’’Bewässerung’’)
twww.popsci.com (search for: ’’Groasis’’)
AquaPro BV
Franseweg 9
4651PV Steenbergen, The Netherlands
www.groasis.com
29
Examples for resource efficiency | Technologies | Environmental technologies
Technologies
Production and
manufacturing
technologies
Microsystem
technologies
Biotechnologies
Nano-technologies
Materials
Environmental
technologies
Energy
technologies
The natural water circulation as model for the future greenhouse
Seawater Greenhouse
The functionality of conventional greenhouses is reversed in the Seawater Greenhouse. Here,
seawater serves as cooling system of the greenhouse allowing for the cultivation of vegetables
and fruits even in dry regions, which normally are unsuitable for crop cultivation. The necessary water is obtained via an integrated seawater desalination plant.
The water demand of the Seawater Greenhouse can be
covered with the help of a solar powered seawater desalination plant. Hence, it is particularly suitable for dry, costal
regions. In the Seawater Greenhouse, a simulation of the
natural water circulation takes place. Apart from serving as
climate control within the greenhouse, this principle allows
for the transformation of seawater into fresh water, which
is used for irrigation of the plants. In addition, plantations
outside the greenhouse with fruits like oranges or lemons
can be watered. Furthermore, minerals from the seawater
are used for the fertilization of the crops as well as for the
production of salt crystals.
The concept of the Seawater Greenhouse has been developed by Charlie Paton in England and further researched
by the British enterprise Seawater Greenhouse Ltd. since
1991. By the end of the 90ies it was ready to be launched.
In 1992, a first pilot plant was set up on the Canary Island
Tenerife. Positive results confirmed the capacities for development and, thus, suggested application in other regions. Other research facilities ensued. The first Seawater
Greenhouse in the world used for commercial purposes
was opened in South Australia in 2009.
30
Resource Efficiency
The solar powered desalination of seawater represents an
eco-friendly and energy-saving alternative to conventional
seawater desalination plants. The obtained fresh water is
pure and distilled and requires no further chemical treatment. Groundwater withdrawal is minimised due to production of the necessary fresh water. The use of pesticides
can be reduced or even completely avoided by using the
’’germ-free“ evaporated seawater. For these processes only
solar- and wind energy is used. The salt, which is won during the desalination process, can be sold as table salt – as
long as it is economically viable. Other minerals obtained
in this process are used for fertilization.
Barriers and Risks
The investment volume of solar powered seawater desalination plants is high. Therefore, there is a serious risk of creating dependencies on the desalination industry, especially
in poor countries. Furthermore, taking other environmental protection measures, for example improving the water
management system, might not be given priority due to
the use of seawater desalination.
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Possible assembly of the Seawater Greenhouse (Source: © Seawater Greenhouse Ltd.)
Potential environmental risks of seawater desalination have
not been thoroughly assessed yet. Returning the filtered
salt as brine into the sea can have negative effects on the
already disturbed coastal regions. This is one of the major
concerns of the environmental organisation WWF. They
warn about the destruction of coastal regions. Supporters
of the desalination technology argue, that the conditionally
increased salt concentration of 6.5 – 7 percent caused by
the refeed is not measurable already within a few meters
from the point of discharge into the sea.
Potentials
In 2008, the manufacturer Seawater Greenhouse developed together with a team of architects the concept of the
Sahara Forest Project. This project is a further development
of the Seawater Greenhouse concept and intends to use
large-scaled greenhouses together with solar plants for the
food production in deserts. Solar tower power stations not
only supply the energy needed for the pumps installed in
the greenhouses but also support the evaporation process
of the sea water due to their heat waste. The plants are expected to produce a surplus of energy and drinking water.
Further information
tBrendel (2003): Solare Meerwasserentsalzungsanlagen mit mehrstufiger Verdunstung.
Seawater Greenhouse Limited
2a Greenwood Road
London E8 1AB, UK
[email protected]
www.seawatergreenhouse.com
31
Examples for resource efficiency | Technologies | Nano-technologies
Technologies
Production and
manufacturing
technologies
Microsystem
technologies
Biotechnologies
Nano-technologies
Materials
Environmental
technologies
Energy
technologies
Clean drinking water by using nano-fibres
“High-tech-tea bags”
for drinking water purification
At the South African University of Stellenbosch, bags are being designed, which absorb and
remove impurities from the water. These bags are similar to conventional tea bags and are to be
placed with a top piece on the bottleneck. Thus, the water is cleaned automatically while flowing out of the bottle during drinking.
polluted water, so that it is safe to drink without any health
risks. After usage, the bag can be disposed off easily. The
nano-fibres are supposed to decompose after a few days
and not to have any negative impact on the environment.
High-tech-tea bag in a bottle-attachment
(Source: Stellenbosch University)
The innovative bags are comparable to conventional tea
bags in their shape and size. The material is very similar as
well, but there are very thin fibres inside the bag, whose
size is at nano-scale and which are able to filter the impurities. Furthermore, the bags contain activated carbon,
which kills bacteria.
The bags are being fixed in a top piece, which has to
be placed on top of the bottleneck. The bottle top may
look very different depending on the shape of the bottle.
Project information from the University of Stellenbosch
illustrates, that a single bag can purify one litre of highly
32
A major advantage of this technology is the simple implementation, because the top piece including the bag is easy
to use. Therefore, the purification can take place without
any energy wherever it is needed. The risk, that the purified
water will be contaminated again while transporting, can
be eliminated. In addition, the costs with less than half a
U.S. cent per bag are being kept low.
The cleaning bags are still in the development phase.
For the implementation of a mass production, some analyses need to be made. However, according to the involved
researchers several tests show promising results.
Resource Efficiency
It is possible to foresee significant savings compared to a
conventional central water purification, because this usually requires several complex stages. In the central water
treatment, water is at first being cleaned mechanically to
remove coarser, undissolved and sediment sewage components. Afterwards, a biological treatment in order to reduce dissolved organic compounds takes place. Finally, in
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the third cleaning stage mostly chemical removal of special
inorganic and non-degradable organic substances occurs.
All these cleaning processes require energy and or chemical additives such as chlorine, which can be saved by using
these cleaning bags. If it is possible to replace central water
purification by these innovative bags, huge material efforts
due to the construction of a municipal water supply infrastructure could be saved.
The local water purification in rural areas is often done by
boiling water. More than half the world´s population uses
fuels such as wood or kerosene for their fireplaces, which
are inefficient in nature. By using the “high-tech-bags” it
is possible to avoid the use of mentioned raw materials,
emissions resulting from the combustion, as well as the
expenses for transportation of freshwater and wastewater.
Potentials
The potential of these cleaning bags lies in their ease of
use, especially in regions that are not easily accessible
and do not have proper water treatment facilities. About
three billion people suffer from an inadequate supply of
clean drinking water, which in developing countries constitutes to the main cause of disease and deaths. Therefore, the bags could have positive effects on the health of
many people. Other fields of application are both in leisure activities such as hiking or camping and emergency
situations, where quick help is required, for example, after
earthquakes or for flood victims.
Barriers and Risks
Although the price of the bags appears to be very low for
consumers in industrialized countries, for the developing
countries it might be too high. Thus, a widespread, prevailed usage may be prevented due to price of the bags.
Moreover it is unclear, whether all possible contaminants
of water, such as highly toxic chemicals, are being filtered.
In the end, the bags help the underprivileged, who have
to drink contaminated water every day and have no other
option. However, the bigger problem in many developing
countries is that there is no water available in the first place,
which cannot be solved by the cleaning bag.
Further information
twww.thehopeproject.co.za
twww.southafrica.info (search for: Teabag)
twww.eartheasy.com (search for: Teabag)
Stellenbosch University
Private Bag X1 Matieland
7602 Stellenbosch, South Africa
www.sun.ac.za
33
Examples for resource efficiency | Technologies | Microsystem technologies
Technologies
Production and
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technologies
Microsystem
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Biotechnologies
Nano-technologies
Materials
Environmental
technologies
Energy
technologies
Upcycling of energy by thermoelectric materials
THECLA: Thermoelectricity in clathrates
In order to convert waste heat into usable electrical energy, the thermoelectric capability of
materials with budding thermoelectric properties are being optimized in an Austrian research
project.
two spaces or objects at a sufficient temperature difference
(thermal gradient). The reverse principle is existent in the
so-called Peltier effect. In this process an outward current
flow causes a change of flow of the heat. Thus, thermoelectric materials can be used for active cooling or heating.
Illustration of the atomic structure of a clathrate
(Source: University Göttingen)
Heat recovery is one of the key strategies to increase energy efficiency of a system for many different applications
such as the recovery of heat from air (for instance passive
houses) and wastewater (e.g. industrial processes).
Thermal electricity is one possibility for heat recovery.
This refers to the mutual influence of temperature and
electricity and its respective conversation. Thermoelectric
materials can transform the occurring thermal diffusion
currents into electrical energy (Seebeck effect) between
34
Although both phenomena have been known for a long
time, they are being considered recently for a growing
number of applications. One reason for this is that the thermoelectric energy conversion does not need any moving
mechanical parts compared to most of the other energy
conversion principles. That implies a shock- and vibrationfree operation as well as the quietness of the application.
Furthermore, small effort for integration of thermal electricity into existing solutions is needed. Applications for
thermoelectric materials are seen especially in waste heat
recovery and combined heat and power production.
First consideration of the Austrian research project
THECLA is the material family of clathrates. This is a compound with two substances: a gas molecule is embedded
in a host molecule from the existing grid. Due to the cagelike crystal structure, the clathrates closely correspond
to the so-called “phonon-glass electron-crystal concept”
(PGEC), whereby the heat is conducted in an inefficient
manner, while electric charge is moving virtually undisturbed. Aim of the THECLA-project is the optimization of
the thermoelectric capability of clathrates by the selective
support or substitution with other elements. In addition,
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various methods of micro- and nano-structuring were
studied within the project to increase the thermoelectric
capability and with that the heat recovery was improved.
Resource Efficiency
Exact information about the increase of resource efficiency
cannot be given. Conventional generators of this type have
an efficiency of 3 to 8 percent. So far, this project has not
made a clear statement about how this efficiency can be
increased. Despite the comparatively low efficiency, thermoelectric generators contribute to energy savings of a
system, because they usually take effect in applications
where up to now the heat has remained unused.
Potentials
New applications for thermoelectric materials are likely to
appear in the automotive industry and in power plants.
Thus, the major car manufacturers such as BMW, Mercedes
and Toyota are working on plans to use the engine heat to
produce electricity via thermoelectric generators. Another
potential can be seen in the Peltier cooling effect, meaning
cooling by applying electricity to thermoelectric materials.
Barriers and Risks
In a number of cases the degree of efficiency is still too low
for practical application to be economically profitable. Furthermore, it must be assured that the higher energy efficiency will not be foiled by augmented usage, for instance,
of scarce commodities like certain required metals, because
then the material efficiency will be degraded.
Further information
twww.fabrikderzukunft.at (search for: ’’Thecla’’)
twww.cpfs.mpg.de (search for: ’’Thermoelektrika’’)
tpeggy.uni-mki.gwdg.de (search for: ’’Gas Hydrates’’)
TU Wien – Festkörperphysik
Karlsplatz 13
1040 Wien, Austria
www.tuwien.ac.at
35
Examples for resource efficiency | Technologies | Production and manufacturing technologies
Technologies
Production and
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technologies
Microsystem
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Energy
technologies
Energy efficiency with high-tech steels
New kind of strip casting technology enables
the manufacturing of high-manganese steels
By using a newly developed strip casting technology, steel with excellent strength and deformation properties can be manufactured with improved energy efficiency. New alloys based on
steel arouse particular interest of the automotive industry in regards to body construction.
Coiling of the casted steel strip
(Source: Salzgitter Mannesmann Forschung GmbH)
Strip casting is a worldwide unique conception of casting,
which allows the casting of new, high-manganese steels.
The advantages of this technology, compared to conventional technology, are the achieved energy and carbon
dioxide savings. Generally, during the manufacturing of
steel, the molten steel is being casted continuously and
subsequently, in a hot state, being rolled into the desired
form. In the conventional continuous casting process, steel
is poured into a strand with a thickness of 200 to 250 mm.
36
A reheating of the cooled and the strands, which are separated into slabs, usually takes place between casting and
rolling.
Due to the tape casting technology, it is possible to pour
the steel in thicknesses from 8 to 15 mm by using a radically altered concept of casting. Thereby, the steel is being
cast vertically in a chill-mold (reusable mold for the casting
of metals) on a horizontal running steel strip. Due to the
low casting thickness, it is possible to save up to 75 percent
energy during casting, heating and rolling.
The strip casting is suitable for the production of modern high performance materials, because of the horizontal
casting direction and the consistently horizontal process
management without bending operations at high temperatures as well as the avoidance of relative motions between
the strand and the chill-mold.
The innovative steel casting process, which is being
realized the first time on an industrial scale at the Salzgitter Stahl GmbH, enables improvements in the utilization
phase apart from providing advantages in the manufacturing processes. If the steel is used in lightweight applications such as automotive bodywork, in case of a crash the
occupants will benefit from the 3 or 4 times higher plastic
capacity compared with conventional steel. Due to the
lower weight of the vehicle, it is possible to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions while increasing safety.
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Resource Efficiency
BCT (Belt Casting Technology) system requires six times less
material than building at conventional continuous casting
plant. This in turn saves energy in the manufacturing process for the plant components. Compared to the typical
manufacturing process of flat steel (continuous casting,
hot rolling), 2.1 gigajoule per ton of hot rolled steel can be
saved by using the combination of strip casting and socalled steckel-mills. By using the strip casting and in-line
rolling up to 2.7 gigajoule per ton of steel can be saved.
In addition, due to the strip casting process, cooling water
does not come in direct contact with the product, which
translates into a closed water circuit, hence, no water contamination occurs.
then. If these 25,000 tons will be used in the automotive
manufacturing, 160,000 cars could be built based on the
steel. Due to the improved strength of the steel, less steel is
needed for each car, resulting in reduced weight and, thus,
a reduction of fuel consumption of cars, up to 0.2 liters per
100 km is possible. According to this scenario up to about
8 million litres of fuel could be saved per year. Savings of
abiotic resources concerning material (about 190,000 tons)
and fuel aspects (about 9,000 tons) are being estimated.
Furthermore, this technology provides the potential to
substitute conventional steel products of the worldwide
market.
Barriers and Risks
The first commercial strip casting plant is operating at the
Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH in Peine. Although some experience with such technology has been collected on a laboratory scale in Clausthal, there are still some risks regarding
commercial implementation, because of the necessary upscaling and longer hours of operation.
In order to utilize the full potential, e.g. in the lightweight
automotive market, the costs for the new steel may not
outweigh its advantages. Up to now, no cost estimates
have been published for a future series production.
Potentials
Commercial production is planned for the late 2012. According to the manufacturers’ data, 25,000 tons of highmanganese high-performance steel can be produced by
Further information
twww.nachhaltige-innovationen.de
(search for: ’’282’’)
tMeyer (2004): Energieeffizienz mit HightechStählen. BINE Informationsdienst Projektinfo.
Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH
Eisenhüttenstr. 99
38239 Salzgitter, Germany
www.salzgitter-flachstahl.de
37
Examples for resource efficiency | Technologies | Materials
Technologies
Production and
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Microsystem
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Energy
technologies
New cement ‘Celitement’ leaves smaller ecological footprints
Green Cement
Scientists of the Institute for Technical Chemistry of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
have developed a “green cement“, a new type of hydraulic binder. During its production up to
50 percent of the conventional CO2 emissions can be saved. With Celitement approx. half a billion tons of CO2 could be saved per year.
Hydraulic binding agents such as cement form the basis
for building materials as concrete and mortar. The cement
keeps the other concrete components together and is,
thus, indispensable for the entire industry of construction
and building materials. With a worldwide cement production of more than 2.8 billion tons in 2008, the cement industry is one of the most important industries around the
globe. At the same time it induces 5 percent of global CO2
emissions. The conventional production of one ton of cement emits one ton of CO2. The cement production emits
more than two billion tons of the greenhouse gas carbon
dioxide per year - three to four times as much as the entire
air traffic.
Cement cube (Source: Celitement GmbH)
38
A new group of hydraulic binding agents, with the trade
name Celitement, promises a considerable improvement of
the energy and environmental balances in the cement production. Celitement is a cementitious binding agent, comparable to Portland cement, based on hydraulically active
calcium hydrosilicates, previously unknown to producers.
When this binding agent for the production of cement is
used, less lime is needed and the burning temperature can
be reduced to 300°C during the manufacturing process.
Usually the production of cement is carried out at temperatures of approx. 1,450°C, as for example is the case with
Portland cement clinkers.
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Resource Efficiency
In the entire production process of Celitement up to
50 percent of the required energy can be saved compared
to the production of conventional Portland cement. Furthermore, CO2 emissions can be reduced by up to 50 percent. Thus, the energy and environmental balance of the
cement production could be improved considerably.
Barriers and Risks
The practical implementation of this new building material
in the industry might still take some years. Even though
Celitement seems highly promising, intensive research
work and testing trials must be conducted. A failure of
the material during construction could have serious consequences for humans and the environment. Therefore, a
detailed examination of the physical and chemical characteristics of the material is necessary before launching
such a new product. Only these extensive testing trials will
show whether Celitement can compete with conventional
cement in the long run.
Potentials
According to the Celitement GmbH, Celitement has numerous advantages. Apart from the improved ecological balance, Celitement features optimal material properties and
is compatible with conventional types of cement. Another
advantage is the well-known process engineering, since
the process of production of Celitement is already known
and widely tested in the manufacturing of cement or aerated concrete.
In order to develop the new cement up to a stage of marketability, scientists of the KIT together with the industrial
partner Schwenk set up the Celitement GmbH. A pilot
plant on the KIT campus enables the conduction of first
tests, which are necessary for the long-term industrial implementation. Starting in spring 2011, the pilot plant is to
supply 100 kilograms of Celitement daily. Already in 2014,
the new cement is to enter the market.
Further information
Celitement GmbH
Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1
76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
[email protected]
www.celitement.de
39
Examples for resource efficiency | Technologies | Energy technologies
Technologies
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Using offshore waves for clean power generation
Aquamarine power
Scottish developers present a wave power station at the coast feeding an onshore turbine via
offshore pumping stations. An enormous flap uses the power of the ocean for transformation
in electric current. Storm tides should not have any effects on the swinging wave power station
Oyster.
here is the transformation of kinetic energy into potential
energy using a flap in the sea.
System components of Oyster Wave Energy Converter
(Source: Aquamarine Power)
The oscillating wave surge converter called “Oyster” uses
the potential energy of waves for energy production. The
power station is shaped like an enormous flap, which is attached to the seabed around 10 to 15 metres under the
water surface. Vertically aligned, the flap scarcely sticks out
of the water surface. The waves are pushing the flap forward to the ground before it swings back to the rear. The
movement of the flap drives two hydraulic pistons pushing
water onshore with high pressure via a subsea pipeline; the
water is then pumped into a conventional hydroelectric
turbine. Thus, the actual power generation takes place onshore using conventional technology; the main innovation
40
The first prototype of Oyster started running in November
2009. Connected to the generator ashore, it supplies an
electrical output of 315 kW. At present, the second prototype is being developed: Here, three Oyster pumping stations are connected in order to power a generator with an
output of 2.5 MW. Construction of the plant is to begin in
Scotland in 2011. The plant is designed for mass production. In the long run, it is planned to develop power stations with a total output of 20 to 100 MW, depending on
the specific coast line.
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Resource Efficiency
Potentials
The wave power station uses renewable energy of waves
and emits no CO2 during the utilization phase. The plant
is designed in such a way that the energy of waves even
higher than the Oyster stations itself can be used. The first
prototype generates 6,000 operating hours per year. Additionally, the power station technology can be used for
seawater desalination if the Oyster stations power a plant
for reverse osmosis.
Coastal regions, which are particularly suitable for the use
of wave energy, are located between 30° and 70° East on
the northern and southern hemisphere. Thus, particularly
suitable coastal regions in Europe are located in England,
Portugal, Spain and Norway. Also the coastal regions of
North and South America along the Pacific and Atlantic
Ocean offer good conditions for wave power stations. According to the study “Future Marine Energy Challenge” of
the society ’’Carbon Trust“ from 2006, sea energy could cover up to 20 percent of power requirements in Great Britain.
The World Energy Council estimates a possible electrical
output of 2,000 TWh, if the potential of wave power stations such as Oyster is used worldwide. That corresponds to
more than the threefold quantity of annual gross requirements of electric current in Germany in 2010.
Barriers and Risks
With the hydroelectric turbine, the wave power stations are
designed based on conventional, sufficiently established,
technology. A problem – as known of offshore wind energy
plants – could be the corrosion caused by the salt water.
So far many pilot plants for the use of wave energy have
been destroyed by storm tides. However, the Oyster power
stations should be more robust due to its simple construction: On the one hand, turbine and generator are located
ashore, on the other hand, the pumping stations with the
swinging flaps offer small contact surfaces; they can be
washed over completely. The effects on flora and fauna of
the coasts have not been examined yet. Conflicts with the
tourism industry could occur.
Further information
Aquamarine Power
10 Saint Andrew Square
Edinburgh EH2 2AF, UK
[email protected]
www.aquamarinepower.com
41
Examples for resource efficiency | Technologies | Production and manufacturing technologies
Technologies
Production and
manufacturing
technologies
Microsystem
technologies
Biotechnologies
Nano-technologies
Materials
Environmental
technologies
Energy
technologies
Urban agriculture - where potatoes grow into the sky
Vertical Farming
Vertical Farming allows the production of vegetable and animal products in cities. Instead of
agricultural production on the field or in conventional greenhouses and farms, it takes place
in multi-story buildings in the city – by means of high-efficient technologies, agriculture gets a
vertical dimension.
The idea of vertical farming was developed in 1999 by
Dr. Dickson Despommier and his students at Columbia
University in New York. It was developed in an academic
project studying roof gardens as a potential source for supplying 50,000 inhabitants of Manhattan with food. These
roof gardens proved, however, insufficient and the idea
came up to cultivate agricultural crops in a vertical arrangement. To this day, scientists are working on this concept to
develop it further.
Farmscraper with limited land use requirements
(Source: verticalfarm.com, Blake Kurasek)
Resource Efficiency
In order to adopt a more resource efficient way of agricultural food production, the concept of vertical farming
was developed. It allows mass production of vegetable
and animal products in cities. In so-called “Farmscrapers”,
multi-story buildings, the production of vegetables, fruits,
mushrooms and algae, even meat and fish, takes place
throughout the year, based on the model of the closed
loop economy. Such system depends heavily on adequate
modern technologies that are already used nowadays. The
required technical equipment exists – nutrient and irrigation monitoring systems or instruments measuring ripeness as well as potential diseases of the respective fruit/
plant – and only needs to be adapted for the application
in Farmscrapers.
42
Vertical farming could contribute to covering the rising
demand for food. According to Despommier, up to 50,000
people could be supplied with food from crop yields in a
30-storyed building. The farmscrapers could be built directly in the city centre. This allows for a production close to
the urban consumer, long transport and complex cooling
systems are not necessary any more. The idea of vertical
farming not only aims at increasing resource efficiency in
production and processing of food products; additionally,
land used for agriculture based on current farming systems
would not be needed.
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Barriers and Risks
Detailed analyses of the feasibility and resource efficiency
of vertical agriculture are still pending. Thus, an economic
and ecological assessment comparing vertical farming systems to conventional agricultural systems is not possible
at present. Substantial additional expenditures such as
artificial lighting and other operational work, for example,
are expected. This could minimize expected advantages.
Another constraint is the acceptance by the population.
The Dutch project “Deltapark”, which was scheduled to be
finalised in 2010, failed due to the refusal of the public.
Furthermore, other, much simpler, measures for a sustainable agriculture in rural areas might be postponed if
focussing on this new farming concept. A sustainable agriculture as well as responsible consumption patterns are
crucial for ensuring a sufficient food supply for all humans
in the future.
Urban food production with farmscraper
(Source: verticalfarm.com, Blake Kurasek)
Here, the products are produced as environmental friendly
as possible; aiming to increase Shanghai’s independency
on imported goods. Despommier’s enterprise Vertical Farm
Technologies is planning further (similar) projects.
Potentials
According to UN estimations, worldwide population will
reach up to 9.2 billion humans in 2050. By then presumably
up to 80 percent of the world population will live in cities
and these metropolitan areas need sufficient food supply.
The project “Greenport” was set up in Shanghai, as successor of the Deltapark in the Netherlands. The core of this
project is an “Agropark”, an area of approximately 24 square
kilometers with greenhouses, stables and affiliated processing industry that was established on an island close to
the 14-millions-megacity of Shanghai for the Expo 2010.
Further information
Environmental Health Science of Columbia University
60 Haven Ave. Room 100
New York, NY 10032, USA
www.verticalfarm.com
43
Examples for resource efficiency | Products | Textiles
Products
Textiles
Food
Optics
The washing machine of the future washes with plastic balls
instead of water
Xeros – Washing without water
British researchers are currently developing a washing machine, which needs only one glass of
water. Re-usable plastic balls are used to suck stains off the clothes and get them fresh again.
Additionally, this procedure saves energy as there is no drying of the clothes needed.
The nylon ball surface, thanks to a natural characteristic
of the material, sucks the dirt particles in. Nylon reacts to
the humidity of its environment with reversible water absorption. Thereby, the water is stored in the amorphous areas of the polyamide. If the moisture content reaches 100
percent, the dirt particles are absorbed by the nylon balls.
After the washing cycle the balls can drain off like the water of a normal washing machine. This special technology
makes a tumble dryer redundant. After up to 100 loads of
laundry the nylon balls must be exchanged and recycled.
Nylon granulate (Source: © Xeros Ltd.)
The British enterprise Xeros is developing a washing machine, which needs only very little water for the cleaning
process. According to the developers, only one cup of water is needed for each wash cycle. In contrast to conventional washing machines, which on average use more than
40 litres of water. Furthermore, a high amount of energy
is needed for heating this water to 40, 60 or 90 degrees as
well as drying the clothes in the tumble dryer. The Xeros
washing machine aims at reducing the water and energy
use substantially. Instead of large amounts of water, re-useable plastic balls are used for textile cleaning. The clothes
are spun with thousands of small, 3 mm long nylon balls, a
cup of water and detergent.
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The idea of cleaning technology based on plastics was
developed by Stephen Burkinshaw, a professor for textile chemistry at the University of Leeds. In 2007, he established Xeros Ltd. The company is testing the cleaning
process developed by the Design faculty. Xeros is also the
brand name of the patented cleaning system. So far, it is in
the development phase.
Resource Efficiency
According to the developers, it is possible to save up to 90
percent of water with the washing machine of Xeros compared to conventional washing machines. According to the
developers the machine uses only two percent of the conventional washing machine water and energy requirement,
because heating of large amounts of water and drying of
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the clothes are now redundant. At the same time, the CO2footprint can be reduced up to 40 percent in comparison to
the conventional cleaning and drying process. This declaration includes the preparation of the Xeros specific plastic
balls. These are regularly cleaned and recycled instead of
being thrown away. However, if no tumble dryer is used
and the laundry is air-dried, the energy saving of the Xeros
washing machine is much lower.
on savings in operating costs. In addition to that, the Xeros
machine could reduce the overall water and energy consumption (of private households). According to recent data
of the German Federal Statistical Office, approximately 17
litres of drinking water per German capita are used for daily
washing activities; three times as much as used for food
preparation and beverages. Apart from private households,
this technology could represent an alternative to chemical
cleaning agents for commercial cleaning companies.
Barriers and Risks
High acquisition costs could put sellers off, considering that
the maintenance costs for private households are not that
significant. Since no exact data are available for the quantity of required plastic granules, the environmental impact of
production and cleaning of the granulate in comparison to
conventional washing can hardly be measured. Therefore,
the expected advantages could be reduced by efficiencies
in water and energy use.
Potentials
According to preliminary estimates of the manufacturer,
up to 30 percent of direct operating costs can be saved in
comparison to a conventional washing machine used in
private households. However, only launching this product
and testing it in real life situations can produce reliable data
Further information
Xeros Ltd, Unit 14, Evolution
Advanced Manufacturing Park
Whittle Way, Catcliffe
Rotherham, South Yorkshire S60 5B, UK
[email protected]
www.xerosltd.com
45
Examples for resource efficiency | Products | Transport and Traffic
Products
Textiles
Food
Optics
The automated towing kite system for ships
SkySails – the Wind Propulsion System
SkySails is a patented towing kite propulsion system for cargo ships. It is based on a large towing kite with which, depending on the wind conditions, approximately 10 – 35 percent annual
fuel savings and reductions in emissions can be achieved.
Due to the increasing crude oil prices and stricter emissions
regulations for ships (sulphur emissions regulation, carbon
dioxide regulations in the development phase), shipping is
experiencing steadily rising operational costs. Henceforth,
the SkySails system is a lucrative option for the shipping
industry.
The SkySails system was introduced to the public in Hamburg in 2001. The system consists of three parts: towing
kite with a towing rope, a launch and recovery system and
the control system. According to the producers, the system
is able to realise an effective load of 8 – 16 tons. Depending on the ship’s characteristics such as the effectiveness of
the marine screw propeller and the resistance, eight tons
of effective load correspond to the engine performance of
600 up to 1,000 kW.
The system does not require extra personnel and can be
run in parallel to support the main engine. SkySails does
not require a large storage space (a 160 square meter folded SkySail takes up only the size of a telephone booth),
and it is lightweight, because it is made out of textile. Compared to conventional sails, SkySails can generate 5 – 25
times more driving force and thus, provides effective support for the engine-driven ship propulsion.
46
The financial amortisation period is only between three to
five years, since the investment costs are low. SkySails calculates the cost to benefit ratio (“Skyprofit”) for each shipping company and each ship individually.
The SkySails system has received many awards such as the
Sustainable Shipping Award (2009) and the Clean Innovation Award (2009).
Resource Efficiency
Since SkySails can be installed on almost any kind of ship,
the overall potential of fuel savings and emission reductions is high. Ship transport emits about 813 million tons
of CO2 per year with an increasing tendency and accounts
for almost 3 percent of the global CO2 emissions (approximately 30 billion tons in 2005). The worldwide usage of
SkySails could cut the global annual CO2 emissions by 150
million tons, corresponding to approximately 15 percent
of Germany’s total CO2 emissions. Numerous studies have
confirmed savings between 10 to 35 percent per ship. In
optimal conditions a reduction of 50 percent could be
reached. However, the exact fuel savings have to be determined on an individual basis, depending on parameters
such as ship size, swell and wind speed.
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Skysails system components
and the use of wind in great
heights (Source: © Skysails, own
translation)
Barriers and Risks
Since the SkySails system depends on the wind conditions,
the achieved fuel savings can vary. Furthermore, safety
issues are a potential risk. SkySails has developed many
safety features such as the option of an emergency release
for the towing kite. SkySails operates beneath 800 meters
outside of the controlled airspace. Moreover, SkySails cannot be started by wind speeds lower than three Beaufort.
A landing at these wind conditions is, however, possible.
Another potential is based on the fact that reducing fuel
consumption also reduces sulphur emissions. The alternative – an installation of a catalyst – would according to
the producers, not only increase the fuel consumption by
3 percent, but also require additional resources for filters
and discharging of the filtered substances.
Another constraint is the fact that, due to the SkySails size
and weight, it has so far only been installed on cargo vessels, fish trawlers and super yachts. However, initial plans
have already been made for SkySails installation on sporting yachts.
Potentials
The future technological potential depends on the further
increase of the tractive forces in order to obtain higher levels of fuel and emissions savings. Currently SkySails is working on the development of tractive forces of 32 tons and
plans to increase this up to 130 tons. The fact that not only
cargo ships can make use of this system demonstrates the
versatility of SkySails, which could encourage its entrance
in further markets.
Further information
SkySails GmbH & Co. KG
Veritaskai 3
21079 Hamburg, Germany
www.skysails.info
47
Examples for resource efficiency | Products | Buildings and Housing
Products
Textiles
Food
Optics
A self-sanitising biodegradable disposable toilet
Peepoo Bag
The Peepoo is a self-sanitising, biodegradable, single-use toilet in the shape of a bag, which, in
two to four weeks after use, can be utilized as a fertiliser. It is produced to provide maximum
hygiene at minimal cost in order to supply densely populated urban slums, refugee camps or
emergency camps with a safe sanitation solution (e.g. formed due to natural disasters).
to many other problems – a quarter of the worldwide
children´s deaths. By using the Peepoo toilet, contamination of groundwater and drinking water can be avoided.
Therefore, Peepoo contributes to the improvement of
drinking and groundwater quality as well as to the achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals.
Peepoo in Kiberia (Nairobi, Kenya) (Source: Peepoople, Camilla
Wirseen)
According to UNICEF Germany, 2.6 billion people worldwide live without access to basic sanitation. As a result,
ordinary plastic bags, also commonly called “flying toilets”,
are often used as substitutes for toilets and thrown away
without any consideration. Since such bags are very thin
and rip easily, the pathogens in the contents can reach
the groundwater and, thus, contaminate the drinking water. Contaminated drinking water is responsible for – next
48
The Peepoo has the shape of a slim elongated bag that
is made from biodegradable plastics and filled with urea.
Urea is a non-toxic and harmless carbamide. It is a natural
nitrogen based fertiliser used to sanitize the faeces and to
start the enzymatic process during which the faeces develop ammonia and carbonate. Within two to four weeks
the dangerous bacteria and organisms become inactive.
After the complete degradation of the Peepoo, only water, carbon dioxide and biomass remain. Untreated faeces,
however, hold the potential pathogenic germs active for
two to three years. As a result, a nutrient-rich pathogenfree by-product is produced, which can be safely used to
fertilise soil.
Peepoo should only be used once and can be stored after use for up to 24 hours without developing any odour.
The bag weighs less than ten grams, has a size of 14 by 38
centimetres, and is made in two layers with a wider inner
funnel. The consumer cost is between two and three cents
per piece, corresponding to about 10 euros per person and
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year. The start of a large-scale production of Peepoo toilets
is scheduled for 2012. Then 500,000 Peepoos could be produced per day.
Resource Efficiency
Peepoo does not require water and, thus, contributes to
water conservation. Furthermore, a high value nitrogen fertilizer is produced. The organic matter in the fertiliser improves the soil’s characteristics through, for example, better
structure and higher water holding capacity.
Barriers and Risks
A potential risk could be the continued use of standard
plastic bags by the consumers, because the short-term
function of Peepoo might appear to be almost the same.
However, according to the producers, field tests in Kiberia,
the urban slum of Nairobi, Kenya, show that by providing
consumers with the necessary information and logistics for
using the Peepoo, this risk can be diminished. Still, an ability to purchase the disposable toilet from an economical
point of view has to be ensured.
Moreover, there could be an acceptance problem by
the users of the nitrogen-based fertiliser, since it originated
from human excrements. In order to combat this, a transparent communication about the benefits and risks of Peepoo has to take place.
Furthermore, there is the potential risk that due to the
cure of short-term sanitation problems, less interest in investment could be shown in the mid- and long-term wastewater and sanitation infrastructure.
Potentials
A sanitation system entirely based on Peepoos could be
developed, whereby the Peepoos would either be collected at a collection point (eventually involving a refund system) or be disposed of as a fertiliser in urban gardens. The
potential has already been proven within a pilot project in
Kiberia. Here, a refund collection system works. The Peepoos are sold and distributed by local micro-entrepreneur
women. As a result, new business opportunities arise not
only through Peepoo distribution and collection, but also
by the possibility to produce fertiliser. Fertilization could
lead to higher harvest yields, leading to positive trickle
down effects on the local economy.
Peepoos could also contribute to reducing health care
costs. For example, in Nepal, where only a fifth of the population has access to toilets, about 150 million dollar savings
could be achieved yearly.
Finally, Peepoos have a great potential for being used in
emergencies or refugee camps.
Further information
twww.fairplanet.net (search for: Peepoo)
Peepoople AB
Alsnögatan 3
SE-116 41 Stockholm, Sweden
www.peepoople.com
49
Examples for resource efficiency | Products | IT and Communication
Products
Textiles
Food
Optics
Industry wide standard USB charger for mobile phones available
worldwide as of 2012
Universal Charging Solution (UCS)
for mobile phones
A universal charger for all. This is the goal of an initiative from GSMA (Global System for Mobile
communications Association), a global network for mobile devices and accessories. The charger
should fulfil the USB-IF standards (USB Implementer’s Forum) and the first models were produced already in 2010.
The initiative aims at reducing mobile phone charger energy consumption from stand-by and waste stemming
from the growing number of chargers. The standardisation
of chargers would also lead to a significantly higher userfriendliness for customers.
UCS concept should at a minimum meet all current
energy efficiency laws and parameters. Thus, the old, less
efficient devices could be exchanged and the amount of
chargers per household could be reduced altogether. According to the Environmental Ministry in Germany, each
household in Germany owns 2.5 mobile telephones (with
an equal amount of chargers) and, thus, with about 40 million households the volume of about 100 million chargers
is reached.
The charger cable should have a USB standard-A and
a USB micro-B outlet and it should be removable from a
common power supply in order to provide higher flexibility
for the end-user. Up until now, for example Motorola, Sony
Ericsson and Nokia, have already developed a UCS.
Resource Efficiency
It is estimated that the new devices would reduce the
stand-by energy consumption by up to 50 percent. Additionally, the production of 51,000 tons of chargers
(duplicates) per year would be eliminated, which would
50
decrease greenhouse gas emissions by 1.44 million tons
per year. The chargers would not have to be sold with the
mobile phones; instead they could be reused, regardless
of the mobile phone model. Finally, the packaging of the
mobile phones could be reduced. This would decrease the
amount of waste generated and lead to savings in energy
required and greenhouse gas emissions emitted during the
transportation.
Barriers and Risks
During the transitional phase, this initiative could lead to
an increased volume of old charger waste. These should
be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner in
order to reuse the valuable, partially rare, non-renewable
resources. Thus, new i.e. better recycling concepts would
have to be developed. In addition, customers should be
actively informed about recycling opportunities.
The full potential of energy and resource efficiency
could only be reached if all mobile phone producers join
the UCS initiative. Currently 27 producers are signatories,
which include the biggest mobile phone companies (e.g.
Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, Samsung, HTC, LG). However, Apple, already the fifth largest mobile phone producer
worldwide with a sales increase of 87.2 percent since 2009,
has not signed this initiative so far.
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The universal charging solution (UCS)
(Source: © GSM Association 1999 – 2009)
Effective incentives should be developed to stimulate
the demand for mobile phones without chargers, e.g.
through price incentives. If the mobile phones will not be
sold together with the UCS, it must be ensured that in all
locations selling mobile phones customers could also purchase a UCS if desired.
The mobile phone manufacturers will have higher initial
costs, because of, for example, the joint development of
the UCS and informing customers, employees and retailers.
Furthermore, permanent changes will have to take place
along the production chain such as, for example, in purchasing, production and the new packaging design.
Potentials
Already in January 2009 Nokia conducted a test in Italy,
France, Great Britain and Spain with Nokia N79, whereby
customers could purchase this mobile phone without a
charger. Many customers chose this option and additional
customer questionnaires proved the acceptance for such
a product. UCS chargers should be available worldwide as
of 2012.
This idea could be transferred onto other fields i.e.
markets such as, for example, digital camera or notebook
chargers. This would increase potentials for resource savings and environmental benefits.
Further information
twww.gsmworld.com/our-work/mobile_planet/universal_charging_solution.htm
tGSMA (2009): Universal Charging Solution
Explained.
tGSM Association (2010): Universal Charging Solution. Whitepaper Consumer Awareness Initiatives
1.0.
tNokia (2010): Nokia sustainability report 2009.
twww.recyclemycellphone.org
twww.umweltbundesamt-daten-zur-umwelt.de
(search for: “Ausstattung privater Haushalte mit
langlebigen Gebrauchsgütern”)
twww.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1543014
twww.usb.org/about
GSMA: London Office
Seventh Floor
5 New Street Square
New Fetter Lane
London EC4A 3BF, UK
www.gsmworld.com
51
Examples for resource efficiency | Products | Food
Products
Textiles
Food
Optics
A new method of blanching potatoes saves energy and wastewater
Eco-friendly potato processing
A key process in potato processing is blanching. Blanching can be run in a closed system where
the loss of freshwater, wastewater, energy and vital ingredients can be reduced.
Furthermore, the natural level of sugar in potatoes can be
reduced. However, essential ingredients such as minerals or
amino acids are being leached out of the potatoes. Studies have shown that the loss of these essential ingredients
during the blanching process can be prevented if the defined concentration of minerals and amino acids in the hot
process water is set correctly.
In order to remove sugar from the hot process water after
the blanching process, the Dutch company Aviko uses a
fermenter. Thus, the hot water has a lower concentration
of sugar and it can be used for a further blanching process.
Due to the repeated different sugar concentration levels
within the potato and the process water, leaching of sugar
from the potato occurs while concentration of essential ingredients is reliable. This process is also called “Closed-Loop
Blanching” (CLB).
Fermenter (Source: Aviko Holding)
During the blanching process food is dipped into boiling
water for a short period of time, mostly 10 to 30 seconds.
This process is particularly applicable for vegetables and
mushrooms. Potatoes are blanched, for example, before
freezing different kinds of potato-products. It helps to
prevent undesirable changes like enzymatic browning
or the degradation of valuable ingredients and, thereby,
a large amount of scrap by deactivating the enzymes.
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With CLB technology it is possible to recycle most of the
process water and reduce energy consumption during potato processing. This is because the recycled water requires
significantly less heat to achieve the required process temperature. Aviko has patented this technology.
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Resource Efficiency
According to the manufacturer Aviko, the process allows
savings of 240 litres of freshwater per ton of processed potatoes, which reduces the overall wastewater. In addition,
94 mega joules of energy per ton of potatoes can be saved.
This equates to an CO2 omission of about 6 kilograms and
an omission of nitrogen oxides of about 3.6 kilograms per
ton of processed potato. Furthermore, with this procedure,
a lower raw material usage of potatoes (3.6 percent) is possible and a smaller amount of waste material will be produced. Therefore, this process is more profitable than the
standard processes.
blanching process. Thereby, the CLB-technology has a big
potential, since according to the FAO (Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nation) the worldwide production of potatoes in 2008 amounts to about 311 million tons.
The other potentials are the possibility of introducing
additional nutrients or to remove undesirable elements.
After several test runs in a pilot plant in the Netherlands
between 2005 and 2007, the technology shall be first tested under operating conditions at the end of 2010. Other
comprehensive tests will demonstrate the potential of this
technology.
Barriers and Risks
Up to now the process has only been tested at laboratory
level. No technical problems are expected for the implementation in mass production. There could be risks concerning legal restrictions in the food industry. For example,
the recycled water must meet the legal requirements and
ensure an equivalent process and quality assurance compared to conventional blanching.
Potentials
Further information
tSomsen et al. (2007): Selective withdrawal of reducing sugars during blanching, United States Patent
Application Publication.
twww.cosun.nl
Aviko B.V
Dr. A. Ariënsstraat 28-29
7221 CD Steenderen, The Netherlands
www.aviko.com
This procedure can be transferred to other companies
in the food production industry, which are using the
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Examples for resource efficiency | Products | Optics
Products
Textiles
Food
Optics
Dyeing bath reuse for textiles by applying laser technology
Dye recycling by the use of laser spectroscopy
In the field of textile manufacturing the dyeing process is seen as a polluting process due to the
high water requirements and contamination of water. This new procedure uses laser technology to enable reuse of the residual dyeing bath.
By using a laser spectroscopy, the residues contained in the
used dye bath can be determined qualitatively and quantitatively. The determined data of chemical media are processed by a software system, which calculates the required
ratio of dyes, chemicals and water. Based on the results for
the used dye bath, the desired original ratio can be set up.
Thus, residues can be recycled without any negative effect
on the colour reproduction and product quality.
© Salixcaprea - Fotolia.com
The dyeing process is one of the biggest technical challenges in the textile industry. Due to predefined specifications, identical colours in the same quality have to be provided. To achieve this, the individual dyes and chemicals
are being newly mixed for every dyeing procedure. Up to
now the residues were not recyclable. This was due to the
lack of reliable methods for the qualitative determination
of the remaining quantities of dye in the residues. In this
way, large quantities of contaminated water with chemicals
and dyes have been discharged. This resulted in very costintensive cleaning processes.
54
The process was developed within an EU-LIFE project at the
University of Catalonia in Spain and tested with promising
results in different dye systems and materials such as cotton fibres with direct dyes and polyester with shared dyes.
At the end of the project, the technology was exported and
is currently used in textile factories in Brazil and Peru.
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Resource Efficiency
Potentials
Compared to the conventional method, this newly applied
technology enables up to 72 percent of water and more
than 90 percent of dye savings. A dye bath can be reused
up to 24 times without any loss in colour quality. Therefore,
it is possible to dye up to 2500 kilogram of textile material
compared to the usual 100 kilogram in one dye bath. This
leads to an avoidance of 18 cubic meters of chemical polluted wastewater, seven kilograms of non-bio-degradable
sludge and about 18 kilograms of tensides per dye bath.
Since the dye bath does not have to be heated again during the new process, energy requirements can be reduced
by 20 to 25 percent.
The laser spectroscopy is already widely used in the analytic field. Generally, the technology can be used in any
water and wastewater related process. A large potential is
seen in the food industry, especially, for dairy products as
well as wood, paint, lacquer and chemical industry. In the
future it is expected to carry out spectroscopic investigations in other fields of application where wastewater and
sewage arises.
Barriers and Risks
The investment costs for a laser spectroscope are high;
they can reach 80,000 to 100,000 euros. It is assumed that
the costs will decrease in the near future to 15,000 euros
and the payback period could be two to three years. Despite the economic mid-term profitability, the wider implementation remains questionable, because most textile
companies are located in developing countries, where in
addition to the high costs, further technical and organizational difficulties are expected.
Further information
tEuropäische Kommission (LIFE) (2008): “Breathing
LIFE into greener businesses: Demonstrating innovative approaches to improving the environmental
performance of European businesses”.
Polytechnic University of Catalonia
Plaça Eusebi Güell
08034 Barcelona, Spain
www.upc.edu
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Examples for resource efficiency | Products | Buildings and Housing
Products
Textiles
Food
Optics
Straw instead of concrete – resource-efficient buildings
S-House – Building with factor 10
Innovative building concepts should consider the energy demand as well as the lifecycle-wide
resource requirements. Instead building with resource intensive materials, here, straw is used
as building material.
Demonstration building S-House (Source: GrAT)
The construction sector is an economic sector with high
energy and resource requirements. Along the construction
lifecycle the phases “raw material production”, “building
material production” and “use phase” have turned out to be
especially resource-intensive. Of central importance to the
construction of new buildings and renovation is the planning phase, where strategic material selection can steer the
material intensity of all remaining lifecycle phases. While
energy-efficient construction is being already exercised in
practice, aspects of resource protection often still remain
unnoticed.
56
The Austrian group ’’Angepasste Technologie“ (GrAT) managed to reduce the lifecycle-wide resource requirements
in comparison to customary buildings by a factor of 10
through the construction of a demonstration S-HOUSE
building. Within the framework of the program line ’’house
of the future“, an integrated concept was developed, which
connects all relevant aspects of sustainable construction.
In addition, the straw bale construction, the elementary
concept for the S-HOUSE, is also economically interesting.
The demonstration building shows the compatibility of traditional building materials with innovative constructions
to normal passive house costs. During the deconstruction
phase the building materials can be easily separated and,
therefore, reused. The building design of the S-HOUSE and
used components correspond to current needs of users
without consigning disposal problems to future generations or forcing a subsequent use.
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Resource Efficiency
The resource requirements decrease considerably when
using renewable primary products and minimal fossil and
mineral materials. The production of the straw wall causes
a clearly lower ecological footprint than a comparable conventional wall construction, which has an up a ten times
larger ecological footprint. Also the low energy demand of
the S-HOUSE is noteworthy. An annual energy consumption of 6 kWh/m² is reached by an optimal insulation and
the use of passive house technologies. This is significantly
lower than the demanding standard for passive houses (15
kWh/m2).
Barriers and Risks
Components and measures for resource-efficient economic activities in the building industry are already used on
a large scale. Nevertheless, by a combination of different
attempts further research and development is required to
realise efficient system solutions with low expenditures. For
this purpose available databases of primary products have
to be adapted to the requirements of the building industry.
According to the differing demands in regards to building
types coordinated work flow and communication processes have to take place between involved actors like architects, craftsmen and engineers. So far instead of finished
modules individual solutions are used, which lead to higher
costs. Furthermore, high initial investments can arise and
building restrictions can complicate the implementation.
The insulating effect and the reaction of straw to fire were
tested in comprehensive preliminary studies. However,
prejudices concerning deficient structural-physical attributes are prevalent.
Potentials
Higher requirements for old and new buildings on federal
and EU level such as, for example, energy saving regulations and comprehensive supporting possibilities, will lead
to an increase in renovation and new building construction. Reduction of energy demand to a tenth compared
with today’s best available technology and use of renewable primary products may lead to a widespread dispersal
of this building technology based on renewable products,
while energy and primary product costs are increasing.
Further information
GrAT-Gruppe Angepasste Technologie
Wiedner Hauptstraße 8-10
1040 Wien, Austria
[email protected]
www.grat.at
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Examples for resource efficiency | Strategies | Inclusion of RE into Standards
Strategies
Redesign and
Re-use
(use-phase)
New production and
Inclusion of RE into
Standards
’’Factor T“ shows the achieved eco-efficiency of selected Toshiba products
Toshiba ’’Factor T“ Website
A website demonstrates the Toshiba’s developmental progress at a glance. The goal is to have
calculated the so-called “Factor-T” for each Toshiba product by the end of 2010. By the end of
2007 already 80 percent of Toshiba products had an improved, calculated eco-efficiency value
with respect to an internal benchmark product.
58
In ’’Factor T“ the ’’Factor“ stands for the relationship between the newly achieved eco-efficiency of a product and
the eco-efficiency of an internal benchmark product defined by Toshiba. The ’’T“ stands for Toshiba. This value can
also be described as the increased quality benefit of the
product multiplied by the reduced environmental impact
of this product. The so-called Quality Function Deployment
(QFD) technique is used to calculate the improved quality
of the product, whereby the functionality and performance
of a product can be concluded from customer questionnaires. LIME (Lifecycle Impact assessment Method based
on Endpoint modelling) method is used to calculate the
reduced environmental impact of the product. It is the
most frequently used method to calculate environmental impacts in Japan. As a result, the indicator ’’Factor T“ is
derived.
Resource Efficiency
’’Factor T“ should motivate Toshiba’s employees to develop
more environmentally friendly products i.e. to improve the
existing products. Simultaneously, the transparency for
Toshiba’s products should be improved. Toshiba products
fall into one of three categories: a product with significant
improvement in environmental performance (17 products
are listed as of March 2011), a product with significant improvement in environmental performance as well as in
value added (19 products) and a product with significant
value added (15 products). For clarity purposes these categories are also labelled with various colours.
Barriers and Risks
On the ’’Factor T“ website it is possible to find products
with a factor of up to 14.2. An example for such an ecoefficiency improvement is an LED lamp, which has a significantly longer life span (20,000 hours) and lower energy
requirements compared to a regular lamp. This lamp can
be switched on and off very quickly. It is listed under the
significant environmental performance improvement
category.
Another example is an LCD-TV with a factor of 6.60,
whereby, due to optimized video signals and better backlight control, a 76 percent reduction in electricity consumption per year could be achieved. Moreover, the use
of lightweight metal enables a weight reduction of about
70 percent.
There is the risk that these values, calculated by the industry itself, could be manipulated, because no defined
external industry standard exists. Thus, for instance, a
new product could have a higher eco-efficiency than the
benchmark-product, but still a worse one than the direct
predecessor of the new product. Moreover, no comparisons are made with similar products from other companies,
which would significantly increase the transparency and
could be used as decision-making aid for the customers.
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An LED-lamp from Toshiba with a „Factor-T“ of 14.2 (Source: © 19952011 TOSHIBA CORPORATION, ALL Rights Reserved)
Since, the basis for the calculation and the values are
not transparently communicated, the resource savings can
only be quantified to a certain degree. The previously mentioned weight reduction does not lead, for example, automatically to an increase in the resource efficiency. Last but
not least, the use of resources with higher environmental
footprints can even lead to unintentional rebound-effects.
Potentials
Toshiba strongly supports the idea that such a calculation
should become an industrial standard. Thus, the Japanese
Eco-Efficiency Forum was launched. As a result, in 2004 a
general guideline about the calculation of ’’Factor X“ was
published. Today, next to Toshiba, seven companies follow
this guideline on a voluntary basis: Hitachi Ltd., Fujitsu Limited, Panasonic Corporation, Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd., Sharp
Corporation, NEC Corporation and Mitsubishi Electric
Corporation. The long-term goal is to offer more industry
wide transparency to customers and relevant stakeholders
about the environmental performance and standards of
various products available on the market. Consequently, an
independent product registry could be developed. Such a
product registry would, for example, enable a comparison
of environmental impact generated by the purchase of a
new product and the repair of an old product and, thus,
lead to more environmentally conscious consumption
decisions.
Further information
tToshiba Group (2009): Advancing Together with
Factor T, Toshiba`s Pursuit of Eco-efficiency.
tJapan Eco-efficiency Forum (2009): Guidelines for
Standardization of Electronics Product Eco-Efficiency Indicators.
twww.toshiba.co.jp/env/en/products/ecp/factor.htm
Corporate Environment Management Division
Toshiba Corporation
1-1 Shibaura 1-chome, Minato-ku
Tokyo 105-8001, Japan
www.toshiba.co.jp/env/en
59
Examples for resource efficiency | Strategies | Redesign and Re-use
Strategies
Redesign and
Re-use
(use-phase)
New production and
Standards
The mobile maintenance and repair station for consumer goods
Repa & Service Mobile Station
A dense grid of repair and service points at highly frequented locations can make repair services more attractive. The aim is to improve the competitiveness of repaired goods compared
to buying new goods. As a result, higher resource efficiency and reduction of waste could be
achieved.
measures. This included a study of opportunities and risks
of repair service points at four large business locations. The
feasibility study shows that fixed and mobile location repair service points outperformed the virtual ones.
Repairs in Repa&Service Mobil
(Source: ARGE Reparatur- u. Servicezentren GmbH / arge.at)
With increasing global competition, online retail and
shorter development phases of products, access to newer,
cheaper consumer goods has become easier and more
attractive. These developments lead to a non-sustainable
consumer behaviour. Repair and maintenance services
could increase the life span of goods and, thus, prevent the
consumption of new goods, reduce waste and contribute
to resource protection. Such services are often, however,
harder to access than new goods. In addition, the society
lacks awareness about sustainable consumption habits.
Repa & Service Mobil should make repair and maintenance of consumer goods more accessible to the public. The results of the forerunner project ’’RepaMobil“ in
2006 proved the need and interest by consumers for such
60
Therefore, during a 19 months pilot test phase in Vienna,
a transferable concept for implementing mobile repair
service station points should be developed based on the
inputs from relevant stakeholder groups (repair service
businesses, consumers, large business locations etc.). In addition, during the pilot project, the effects on sustainability
such as resource protection, jobs and profitability should
be evaluated as well.
Resource Efficiency
German households alone produce 754,000 tons of electronic waste per year with an increasing tendency. The largest part of it ends up in waste incinerating plants, landfills
or abroad. According to the ’’Export von Elektroaltgeräten“
study of the Federal Environmental Ministry in Germany
(UBA 2010), 155,000 tons of electronic waste is exported
illegally per annum. Especially abroad the toxic material
contained by the products is often not disposed of in an
environmentally friendly and unharmful way. The exact
potential regarding material, energy and water savings of
this project is unknown yet and should be analysed and
quantified at the end of this pilot project.
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Barriers and Risks
Customer information regarding such services and the
cooperation with the appropriate locations such as big
shopping malls, where a Repa & Service Mobil could be
installed, is of great importance. In order to ensure this,
workshops with relevant stakeholders and public relations
work have been planned through, for example, a newsletter, website, informational event and media work.
However, the risk remains, that the repaired old goods
would hinder the spreading of more efficient goods. This
risk is especially given for products with high resource
requirements during the use-phase such as, for example,
refrigerators. Therefore, next to ensuring the repair friendliness of goods and a positive cost-benefit ratio, resource
efficiency should also be ensured along the lifecycle of
the products, if their lifetime is extended. In light of this, a
sustainability label for repair friendly and durable products
was introduced in Austria in 2007. It should not only serve
as guidance for purchasing decisions, but also ensure the
profitability of repair services for customers. In 2008 the
sustainability label received the Austrian environmental
excellence price ’’Daphne“.
Potentials
resources in the products. The amount of resources for
new products could be reduced. In addition, new business
fields as well as jobs at a regional level could be generated. The Austrian sustainability label for repair friendly
and durable products could be used as a blueprint on the
European or even global level.
Further information
twww.fabrikderzukunft.at (search for: ’’Repa’’)
tNeitsch et. al. (2010): Umsetzungskonzept zur Implementierung des Gebotes der „Wiederverwendung“ gemäß ARL2008 in Österreich.
tUmweltbundesamt (2010): Export von Elektrogeräten. Fakten und Maßnahmen.
twww.repanet.at
twww.rusz.at
Arge Abfallvermeidung Ressourcenschonung und
nachhaltige Entwicklung GmbH
Dreihackengasse 1
8020 Graz, Austria
www.arge.at
Repair services could extend the use-phase of consumer goods and, thus, improve the utilization of entailed
61
Examples for resource efficiency | Strategies | Product-Service-System (use-phase)
Strategies
Redesign and
Re-use
(use-phase)
New production and
Standards
New business model to reduce use of chemicals
Chemical Leasing
Pay for services, not products. This concept aims at an efficient use of chemicals - a business
model, from which all involved parties can profit.
Application of the concept “Chemical Leasing” could lead
to decreased demand for chemicals through more efficient use. The customer pays for the service, for example,
for each square meter of cleaned surface, and not for the
quantity of used chemicals. Aside from the chemicals, the
manufacturer sells the know-how for an efficient application of the respective chemicals. Depending on the leasing model the manufacturer can assume responsibility
for chemical safety (industrial safety, environmental protection). In contrast to the classical business model the
turnover is not connected directly to the quantity of sold
chemicals – in fact, the company is interested in a more efficient use of a respective chemical. This leads to reduced
production costs and, thus, to a reduction in total costs.
This again is beneficial for the customer.
Pilot projects, which started in 2005, are testing the new
concept in different fields of application; for example, in
the metal working sector, where chemicals are used for
cleaning, pickling, pouring, and cooling. Furthermore, it is
tested in other sectors such as the chemical synthesis (application: catalysis), food industry (application: extraction,
water purification) as well as the trade sector (application:
cooling of goods/refrigeration). The projects were initiated
by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in co-operation with the Austrian Federal
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water
62
Management (BMLFUW). Apart from these projects in Austria, other projects are carried out in developing countries
such as Mexico, Egypt, and Colombia.
Resource Efficiency
An analysis of the Austrian BMLFUW in 2002 showed that
53,000 tons of chemicals, including related emissions and
waste, could be saved in Austria each year if this model was
implemented in all suitable sectors. This corresponds to approximately one third of all chemicals used in Austria each
year. According to the market analysis “Chemical Product
services into the European Union” (CPS), conducted by different universities together with the Öko-Institute on behalf of the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies,
a reduction of 5 to 30 percent of chemicals used each year
can be reached, if CPS is implemented; depending on the
type and application of the chemical.
Barriers and Risks
For implementation of the business model all involved
players (suppliers and customers) must assent to the new
concept. This, however, might represent a first obstacle. Additionally, the accounting of the service causes problems
since the sales unit e.g. surface or number of cleaned items,
needs to be defined depending on the application. A risk
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Conveyor belt for powder coating (Source: Copyright by UNIDO)
for the manufacturer might be the transfer of know-how;
if the customer acquires know-how from the company in
order to work with cheaper manufacturers. One of the general criticisms of the concept is the possible application of
chemicals, which are harmful to health and environment.
In order to avoid this, the International Working Group on
Chemical Leasing is currently developing possibilities for
the certification of the applied procedures, for example according to ISO 14000, in order to develop a set of qualitative criteria.
its products (e.g. REACH). A business case for this business
model is the German Safechem Europe GmbH, a subsidiary
of The Dow Chemical Company (Dow), which was established in 1992. Safechem offers industrial cleaning services
with solvents in a closed loop. The business model also
promises high resource efficiency potentials within other
sectors such as IT (e.g. for cloud computing).
Potentials
According to the CPS study of the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies, the possible sales value for CPS
amounts to a total of 77 billion euros, which equates to 14
percent of the annual turnover of the European chemical
industry. According to representatives of the chemical industry, the study shows that the spread of CPS is primarily
influenced by the market and in some cases by environmental legislation. Therefore, one of the measures mentioned for the promotion of CPS is the extension of laws
increasing the industry’s responsibility for the security of
Further information
twww.chemicalleasing.com
UNIDO Headquarters
Vienna International Centre
P.O. Box 300
1400 Vienna, Austria
www.unido.org
63
Examples for resource efficiency | Strategies | New production and consumption patterns
Strategies
Redesign and
Re-use
(use-phase)
New production and
Standards
A successful concept for increasing resource efficiency through
partnerships in business
NISP – Networking for Sustainability
With the national Industrial Symbioses Programme (NISP) Great Britain shows how industries
can profit from one another’s know-how through local partnerships – with the goal of reducing
the environmental impact and strengthening the business competitiveness.
© Andrei Merkulov - Fotolia.com
The British enterprise International Synergies Ltd (ISL), in
cooperation with the University of Surrey, developed the
concept of “NISP”. The company was founded in order to
develop and implement environmental solutions for the
industry. So far, NISP seems to be implementing this idea
with great success. NISP supports companies from different
industries in increasing their resource efficiency and simultaneously reducing their greenhouse gas emissions at no
extra costs. There is no membership fee.
The programme supports participating companies by developing strategies for a sustainable business policy and,
furthermore, helps with finding suitable business partners.
64
Here, the closed loop/cycle economy is used as common
approach, whereby improvements are often linked to
reasonable application of waste products. But also other
solutions are explored, such as new ideas for reducing
the use of raw materials. 12 regional offices ensure that
networks can be locally developed and local partnerships
established. In the region ’’West Midlands“ for example, a
co-operation was initiated between a shoe manufacturer
and an internationally operating organization, which passes on textile wastes to children and teenagers for artistic
purposes – for example for art classes in school. In this way,
225 tons of waste have been avoided already.
Successful projects of each region are put onto the NISP
website as good practice examples, including figures of
economic and ecological savings. Today, approximately
10,000 companies from different industries are participating in the programme, most of them small and mediumsized companies but also some giants of the industry like
“Shell UK“ or “Lafarge Cement“.
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Resource Efficiency
Potentials
Since starting the programme in 2005, the greenhouse
gas emissions of the companies involved in NISP were reduced by 5.2 million tons. At the same time, approximately
3.8 million tons of waste of these companies were led back
into the material cycle instead of dumping them. In addition, the amount of wastewater was reduced by approximately 9.4 million tons.
The NISP programme registers an enormous increase,
10,000 members were attracted within approximately five
years. The benefits are obvious. The participating companies realised an additional turnover of 151 million Pounds
so far. Additionally, around 131 million Pounds were saved
in costs through efficient raw material use and synergies.
The efficiency increase did not happen at the expense of
jobs – quite the contrary: a total of 800 new jobs were created and over 1,200 jobs secured on a long-term basis.
Barriers and Risks
Considering the fact that NISP is a strategic approach, it
has limited direct risks. However, when evaluating ecological saving effects on company level, rebound effects might
occur, for example, resulting from longer transportation
distances. Therefore, a standardised, integrated evaluation
process should take place. Since not only environmental
but also economic aspects are considered here, companies
might focus on economic aspects instead of choosing the
best solution for the environment. Furthermore, the risk to
disclose sensitive business data could be opposed to a successful partnership.
Further information
twww.international-synergies.com
44 Imperial Court
Kings Norton Business Centre
Pershore Road South
Birmingham, B30 3ES, UK
www.nisp.org.uk
65
Examples for resource efficiency | Strategies | Redesign and Re-use
Strategies
Redesign and
Re-use
(use-phase)
New production and
Standards
A Swiss initiative shows how building materials can be handled in
a closed loop
Gravel for future generations
The construction industry uses large quantities of materials. Cities offer an enormous stock of
unused resources and many elements of construction waste, which can be recycled. The most
prominent problem: the image of waste.
These materials, however, can be recycled and used in cement production, for example. A study by the “Office for
Waste, Water, Energy and Air“ (AWEL) of the canton Zurich
from 2003 concludes that there is no quality loss if these
materials are recycled. At present, concrete from recycled
material still has different characteristics than the primary alternative. However, if these characteristics are taken
into account in the early stages of building planning process, recycled concretes can be used even for structurally
challenging places. This certainly requires a new way of
thinking in the construction industry. Therefore, the AWEL
initiated the Swiss information alliance “gravel for future
generations“. This initiative aims to convey knowledge of
using construction waste and to facilitate information exchange between science and practice.
Resource Efficiency
Public Building of recycling-concrete
(Source: AWEL Amt für Abfall, Wasser, Energie und Luft)
About 50 million tons of mineral building materials are
used in Switzerland each year. Thus, the construction industry is one of the industries with the highest material
requirements. At the same time, large quantities of construction waste materials are accumulated each year due
to redevelopment and demolition of existing buildings.
66
First of all, reusing construction waste reduces primary
gravel resources and the demand of land for gravel exploitation. Moreover, the disposal of demolition material
becomes redundant if recycled material is used. The use
of construction waste compared to primary raw materials
has only a minor influence on the production process of
concrete and the cement needed for it. In order to determine the environmental impact of the combustion of fossil
raw materials during the process, the content and type of
cement as well as the transportation distance are crucial.
This is a result of a lifecycle assessment done by the Swiss
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Construction waste as raw material
(Picture: Juliette Chrétien, Zürich)
Holcim AG in cooperation with the Institute for Building
and Environment (IBU) and the University for Technology
Rapperswill.
Barriers and Risks
Old gravel pits are frequently used for disposal of excavated material from construction sites. An increased use
of secondary construction materials and the associated
decrease of gravel exploitation could lead to longer transportation distances of excavated material to the nearest
gravel pit. This would worsen the environmental balance
significantly. Long distances should also be avoided when
transporting construction waste materials to appropriate
processing sites. According to the lifecycle assessment
done by the Holcim AG, secondary construction materials
should, thus, only be used if the transportation distance
amounts to more than 30 km over that of primary gravel.
Potentials
Already 80 percent of construction waste is currently recycled in Switzerland. However, these materials are usually
used for inferior building materials in the civil engineering underground; the remaining 20 percent are disposed
of as waste. At present, due to energetic redevelopment
measures, the need of building materials shifts more and
more from civil engineering to building construction: A resource model of the city of Zurich showed that the input
of building materials for urban building construction adds
up to 780,000 tons, whereas the input for civil engineering amounts for 104,000 tons. Thus, an increased demand
for high-quality recycling materials for application in the
building construction can be expected in the future.
Further information
twww.kiesfuergenerationen.ch
tTEC21 (2010): Recycling-Beton.
AWEL Kanton Zürich
Abteilung Abfallwirtschaft und Betriebe
Weinbergstrasse 34
8090 Zürich, Switzerland
www.awel.zh.ch
67
Chapter 4: Strategic starting-points for more resource efficiency
4 Strategic starting-points
for more resource efficiency
The project results indicate that there are a large number
of innovative technologies and products for resource efficiency available. Since their implementation and relevant
knowledge is not widely spread, support is necessary. This
general conclusion can be drawn based on the expert
interviews and the identified examples. In this chapter,
the strengths and weaknesses of technical solutions for
resource efficiency are identified based on the result of
the interim results of the Resource Efficiency Atlas project
(chapter 4.1), followed by a description of starting points for
increased resource efficiency (chapter 4.2).
4.1 Strengths and weaknesses of technology and product development
The following questions are central in light of the technical
solution development for increasing resource efficiency:
t What is the motivation for resource efficient technology and product development to date?
t What are the counteracting forces?
t What are possible risks?
In order to answer these questions a SWOT-analysis
(strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) of
“technical solutions for increasing resource efficiency” was
conducted from a technology and product development
perspective. The project experiences are summarised by
means of the SWOT-analysis against the background of
accelerated resource efficient technology and product development. A particularly important issue is related to advantages and disadvantages coming along with a focus on
resource efficiency during technical solution development.
For this purpose, strengths and weaknesses of technology
and product development (internal perspective, table 2) as
well as opportunities and threats – with regard to framework conditions for development (external perspective,
table 3) – are considered. This assessment is based on a
cross-analysis of results derived from expert interviews
and example collection. Furthermore, observations from
the research process are included to ensure a comprehensive analysis.
The internal perspective on technology and product development indicates that some companies profit already
68
today by focusing on resource efficiency during technology development. These companies gain from lower price
risks and improved supply conditions. In addition, companies can profit from a positive image of resource efficiency
allowing them to open up new markets. With respect to
the production process, resource efficiency can lead to
cost savings if, for example, material savings and waste prevention are implied. However, this is not always the case:
For instance, material substitution might lead to a lower
amount of material input due to higher stiffness. Still, total costs of production might increase because of higher
material costs.
A key obstacle towards resource efficient technology
development is the necessary investment cost primarily
paid for by the manufacturer. In many cases the production
process becomes more expensive as well: One example is
the production of hybrid cars, which are more expensive
than comparable vehicles. They also require higher resource use during the production process. The price premium is passed on to customers as they benefit from lower
fuel consumption. Due to the high investment costs for this
kind of innovations the demand is limited.
Another obstacle might be the relevance of other sustainability themes. Resource efficiency is only one issue
within the holistic perspective of sustainability. Important expertise is often missing such as assessment with
expanded indicator systems in the development stage to
Strengths
Which strengths are apparent in the development of resource
efficient technologies and products?
Weaknesses
Which weaknesses are apparent in the development of
resource efficient technologies and products?
Future-oriented development
Missing cooperation and initiatives
for resource efficiency
t Considering the increasing scarcity of resources and avoiding
potential supply shortages
t Development of innovative products and stabilisation of the
German economy
Opening up new markets
t Opportunities for new marketing strategies
t Market differentiation in a green segment
Economic incentives
t Process optimization and cost avoidance for waste treatment
t Ecological initiatives focus on energy issues and climate
change
t Insufficient networking for resource efficiency
Missing funding sources
t High investment costs for technology and product development are often an obstacle
t Avoidance of external costs in the production process is often
economically not feasible for businesses
t Saving material and energy costs
Missing competencies
t Benefits from existing promotion measures
t Limited use of resource efficiency assessments and practical
implementation
Improved communication
t Internal communication and workforce motivation
t Shortage of skilled workforce
t Possibilities for improving public image
t Implementation of sustainability assessments particularly
with respect to human toxicity, long term availability and
social aspects (e.g. rare earths)
t Necessary restructuring of processes within businesses and
along the supply chain
Table 2: Strengths and weaknesses of technical solution development for increasing resource efficiency (internal perspective)
account for specific environmental impacts (e.g. soil acidification, human toxicity, and social criteria). Any consideration should address the demand for critical raw materials
such as rare earths, as, for example, a resource optimized
production process might increase the use of rare earths.
In the light of anticipated shortages on the world market
the use of rare earths is risky and can counteract technology diffusion.
A prerequisite for the development of resource efficient
solutions is the availability of appropriate competences in
research institutions and companies. This is a challenge, as
innovative technologies require novel know-how and, thus,
new professional qualifications. Therefore, training and further qualifications might be necessary.
From an external perspective, the development of resource
efficient technologies opens up fundamental opportunities to minimize the environmental impacts within and
beyond national boundaries. The corresponding effect is
much stronger if the developed technology is widely diffused and / or used in resource intensive sectors (see chapter 1.1).
Furthermore, increasing resource efficiency can reduce
the dependency on imported raw materials. This is particularly important because Germany as a resource poor country has to import many of its raw materials.
It needs to be stressed that the development of resource efficient solutions has positive effects on the German economy, too. As described in chapter 1.1 a reduction of material requirements can lead to significant cost
savings. Within the MaRess-project it has been calculated
that the gross domestic product (GDP) could increase by
14 percent through a higher resource efficiency on company level driven by specific information campaigns and
consulting activities in 2030 (Distelkamp et al. 2010). A linear reduction of material and energy costs by 20 percent
69
Opportunities
Which opportunities arise from development of resource
efficient technologies and products?
Threats
Which risks arise from the development of resource efficient
technologies and products?
Improved environmental impact
Resource efficiency as a niche market
t Resource savings tend to reduce multiple environmental impacts (e.g. reduction of land use intensity, material and water
savings, reduced greenhouse gas emissions).
t Saving effects of natural resources linked to commercial
success / product diffusion.
t Exploiting potentials for cost savings across different sectors.
t Efficiency potentials exist in branches of production with
high resource use (e.g. construction industry, energy supply).
Competiveness of Germany
t The development of resource efficient products strengthens
Germany’s dominant position in the field of environmental
technologies
t The export of resource efficient technologies can act as a
growth engine and creation of attractive and long-term
employment.
t Lowering the dependency on resource rich countries.
Responsibility for future generations
t Preservation of resources for future generations (inter-generational justice).
t The higher prices caused by increasing development costs
can negatively effect the purchasing decision of cost aware
users.
t Danger of shifting resource requirements to other lifecycle
stages.
t Rebound effects are partly difficult to deal with during product development.
Multitude of assessment approaches
t No established assessment standard for resource efficiency
is existent. This restricts the comparability of different businesses, products and technologies.
Behavioural patterns and mind set
t Inflexible mind set structures counteract required changes
towards resource efficiency.
t Lack of consumer and supplier demand.
Political strengthening of resource efficiency
t Reorganisation of financial subsidies at state, federal and EU
level.
t Support of political programmes such as EU2020-Strategy
Flagship Initiative Resource efficiency.
Table 3: Chances and risks of technical solution development for increasing resource efficiency (external perspective)
could create 700,000 new jobs in ten years according to a
scenario study conducted by the Aachener Stiftung Kathy
Beys (2006). As a result, gross domestic product could increase by 10 percent and state budget could be unburdened by approximately 20 billion euros.
Viewed from a global perspective, reducing resource
requirements might be positive for meeting the needs
of future generations. Accordingly, there is a high political relevance of developing resource efficient solutions.
This has been emphasised by the European Commission
as resource efficiency is one of the seven flagships in the
’’Europe 2020’’ strategy (see chapter 1.1).
The reduction of resource requirements through technologies is a complex theme. This is illustrated by some
external threats: One major problem is due to the fact that
70
a reduction of resource requirements at business level cannot necessarily be equated with total resource savings by
businesses. The rebound-effects were often identified as a
potential obstacle during the assessment of examples. Furthermore, the examples indicate that rebound-effects are a
complex problem to deal with. Potential factors that might
lead to rebound-effects should, therefore, be identified and
addressed at an early development stage. Moreover, technology development should be optimized accordingly. In
many cases relying on isolated technology development
optimization will not be sufficient to prevent rebounds.
Political measures are needed to counteract these effects
though changed consumption behaviour.
From an environmental perspective another threat is
that the spread of some resource efficient technologies
and products might be restricted due to their very specific
field of application. Technologies saving resources during
the use phase are unlikely to realize their full potential if
sold only in niche markets. This factor should be taken into
account when promoting resource efficient technologies
and products.
The same holds for technical solutions with high investment costs. The risk derives from the solution remaining
in a niche market even if the use is economically feasible
in the long run. Therefore, appropriate forms of promotion
and funding need to be implemented by policies to counteract these risks.
In general, the results of the SWOT-analysis show that
resource efficient technologies and products can only
reach their full potential when framework conditions
promote their use and their application aims at environmental improvements. In order to meet these conditions
corresponding changes of political framework conditions
are needed. This includes promotion and funding opportunities allowing manufacturers and users to make the
required investments. Labels indicating resource efficient
products, or other ways of information, can create incentives for consumers. For this purpose, the current public
debate focusing on climate and energy issues should be
expanded to material and resource efficiency. This is also
postulated by the majority of interviewed experts.
4.2 Strategic starting points and courses of action
In light of the need to implement resource efficiency due
to environmental reasons the question needs to be raised:
Why is there only a limited amount of resource efficient
technical solutions applied today? This question was intensively discussed in the expert workshop. The main
problem is attributed to market failure: Today most raw
material prices do not reflect ecological and social costs
(external costs) resulting from raw material extraction and
flows (e.g. water and air contamination, health risks, soil
erosion). Therefore, the use of resources along the entire
value chain is rarely leading to economic advantages for
companies and consumers. As most of the interviewed
experts confirm, more information on the benefits of resource efficient technological solutions is needed - even if
financial incentives are missing.
Capturing existing potentials
Under current economic framework conditions numerous
technical solutions are already economically feasible and
do not depend on supportive policy measures. Some of the
examples in chapter 3 and the expanded collection at the
project’s website can be good starting points.
One of them is the sail system ’’Skysails’’, a relatively simple solution for reducing fuel consumption in cargo vessels
(p. 46). The depth of intervention in the existing technology
is low and the system works in practice. It reduces the fuel
consumption of ships and needs only few adaptations.
There is an especially high potential for solutions, which
can be easily transferred to other sectors like the business
model ’’Chemical Leasing’’ (p. 62). This example shows
that technical solutions can be combined with appropriate business models. This is another approach with high
efficiency potential applicable to many other areas. The
example is far reaching as it addresses both the production and consumption side. The risk of rebound effects is
therefore low.
The dissemination of existing solutions should be promoted. In order to achieve a better spread, the knowledge
about present win-win solutions needs to be communicated. Many existing technical solutions are currently not
applied due to inflexible patterns of thought and action.
Hence, better information on solutions’ advantages is a
very promising approach. Moreover, it seems to be important to convey relevant knowledge for the proper use of
these technologies and products.
71
The UK’s ’’National Industrial Symbiosis Programme’’ is a
good example of a successful communication strategy (p.
64). It is based on the circular economy concept and a network of businesses. With the assistance of this programme
a large number of companies could optimize their production processes leading to environmental and economic
benefits. Another successful example is the initiative called
“gravel for generations” aiming at a resource efficient construction sector (p. 66). The initiative provides information
about the possibilities of economic recycling and reprocessing of building demolition. The efficiency potential is
backed up by scientific studies and projects.
Promoting market entrance
The interviewed experts argue that all identified technology fields bear remarkable resource efficiency potentials.
However, they are still only ‘tools’ depending on surrounding conditions (see chapter 2.2). Promising, resource efficient technology and products, which require high investments, have to be promoted through pilot projects within
the market launch phase. Attractive funding conditions
and programmes should be used to support companies
not yet adjusted to innovation programmes.
In research and development, sustainability and resource efficiency need to be integrated. Existing funding
opportunities need to be promoted. As stated in chapter
1.2 many support programmes are already existent in Germany (e.g. www.fona.de). Even with regard to resource
efficiency many federal promotion activities are in place,
such as promotion programmes for environmental technologies of the German Ministries BMU, BMWI and BMBF,
the programmes VerMat and NeMat as well as the German
Material Efficiency Prize of the BMWI, the development of
institutional structures at the federal state level such as the
Efficiency Agency of NRW and industry initiatives.
72
Development of international education and
cooperation networks
To accelerate the development and diffusion of resource efficient technologies and products the further expansion of
education and cooperation networks (such as the network
resource efficiency of the BMU, network of cleaner production center of UNIDO) is desirable. Furthermore, the network of universities integrating the paradigm of resource
efficiency in teaching and research should be internationally expanded. A very limited amount of university departments offer programmes (e.g. lectures, exercises, project
work) related to resource efficiency. The topic of resource
efficiency in research and teaching should be promoted in
cooperation with the leading technical universities in Germany (TU9) and other design and technical universities of
applied science as well as international universities. A significant expansion of teaching programmes is recommended which needs to be integrated into the existing curricula.
Activities towards the establishment of a ’’virtual resource
university’’ (with focus on implementation processes) could
boost the widespread integration of resource efficiency in
university research and teaching (Kristof / Liedtke 2010).
The virtual resource university can be realised as online
platform to connect national and international university
chairs dealing with resource efficiency.
Further research
The Resource Efficiency Atlas project results highlight the
need for further research in the field of evaluation and diffusion of resource efficient technologies and products.
Many of the challenges experienced during the project
can be traced back to lack of data concerning the resource
use of technical solutions. This point is particularly prevalent with respect to lifecycle-wide data and prospective
studies. It is, therefore, difficult to assess the various identified solutions in a consistent manner. Further action in research heading towards the development of international
standards – allowing consistent potential assessment – is
required.
The assessment of resource efficiency is particularly important in the development stage to ensure a targeted resource-efficient technology development and to minimize
the risk of rebound-effects. As quantitative lifecycle-wide
data cannot be gathered at the innovation phases, qualitative criteria need to be included. Furthermore, in order
to minimize the risk of rebound-effects it should be considered that resource efficiency in technology and product
development is only one (even though an important) criterion besides others in sustainability assessment.
Based on the results and the applied methodology the
collection of examples should be expanded. In addition,
technological solutions in or from developing countries
should be included. One aim could be an expanded Resource Efficiency Atlas aiming at low-tech-applications in
developing and emerging markets. In order to achieve the
best possible dissemination of gathered examples, the project website should be linked with existing databases presenting efficiency examples (such as the PIUS information
portal of the Efficiency Agency NRW, available in German,
and the Cleaner Production portal of German Federal Environmental Agency).
73
Chapter 5: Literature
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gesamtwirtschaftlichen Ressourcenproduktivität in Deutschland. Bericht
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Matthews, Emily / Amann, Christof
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6 Appendix
Interviewed experts in the project
Nr.
Name
Organisation
Country
1
Dr. Kunihiro Kitano
AIST Hokkaido
Japan
2
Dr. Jeffrey Morris
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
USA
3
Prof. Martin Charter
Centre for Sustainable Design, UK
UK
4
Dr. Heinz Leuenberger
UNIDO
Austria
5
Dr. Robert Wimmer
Center for Appropriate Technology, Vienna University
Austria
6
Henrik Österlund
Motiva Ltd., Finland
Finland
7
Dr. Renzo Tomellini
European Commission, DG Research
Belgium
8
Dr. Willy Bierter
Product-Life Institute
Switzerland
9
Patrick van Hove
DG Research Energy conversion and distribution systems
Belgium
10
Dr. Andreas Kleinschmit von
Lengefeld
Forest Technology Platform (FTP)
Belgium
11
Prof. Dr. Kornelis Blok
Universität Copernicus Institute
Netherlands
12
Prof. Jacqueline McGlade
European Environment Agency (EEA)
Denmark
13
Dr. Olga Sergienko
St. Petersburg State University of Refrigeration and Food
Technology
Russia
14
Tomoo Machiba
OECD, Directorate for Science, Technology and Industry
(DSTI)
France
15
Prof. Dr. Holger Wallbaum
ETH Zürich
Switzerland
16
Dipl.-Ing. Christopher Manstein
Faktor 10 Institut Austria
Austria
17
Germán Giner Santonja
Clean Technologies Center. Environment, Water, Town Planning and Housing Department of Valencian Government
Spain
77
About the publishers
Döppersberg 19, 42103 Wuppertal, Germany
www.wupperinst.org
The Wuppertal Institute undertakes research and develops
models, strategies and instruments for transitions to a sustainable development at local, national and international
level. Sustainability research at the Wuppertal Institute
focuses on the resources, climate and energy related challenges and their relation to economy and society. Special
emphasis is put on analysing and supporting technological and social innovations that decouple prosperity and
economic growth from the use of natural resources. The
Research Group “Sustainable Production and Consumption” focuses on patterns and paths of material flows along
value chains in industrial societies as well as environmental, economic and social implications of these material
flows. Strategies, concepts and instruments are analysed
and developed in order to initiate transitions towards more
resource efficient and more sustainable value chains.
Alte Bahnhofstraße 13, 61169 Friedberg, Germany
www.nachhaltigkeit.de
Trifolium – Beratungsgesellschaft mbH (establishment
1996) attends and supports enterprises and organizations
on the way to a sustainable strategy. Therefore they develop and implement individual projects, consulting and
qualification concepts. The interdisciplinary team of Trifolium has comprehensive expertise in project control and
management in a national and international context. Exercise oriented consulting productivities and instruments are
based on the implementation of scientific facts. Trifolium
78
has been a cooperation partner of the Wuppertal Institute
for many years, a partner in the PIUS-internet portal and
controls the regional office of the entrepreneurs’ association future e.V. for Hessen/Thüringen. Trifolium has comprehensive experience with networking projects and with
controlling and handling transnational projects in Europe.
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www.innovation.iao.fraunhofer.de
The basis for all work undertaken at the Fraunhofer IAO
is a deep conviction that business success in a globalised
arena is contingent on an ability to profitably leverage new
high-tech potentials. In order to optimally exploit these
opportunities, companies must be capable of developing and implementing customer and employee-oriented
technologies faster than their competitors. Work organisation concepts must be simultaneously innovative and anthropocentric. A systematic design, in other words, is the
outcome of pooled management and technical expertise.
This holistic perspective when it comes to project processing ensures that equal consideration is given to commercial success, employees’ interests and social consequences.
University of Stuttgart - Institut für Arbeitswissenschaft
und Technologiemanagement IAT
Nobelstr. 12, 70569 Stuttgart,Germany
www.iat.uni-stuttgart.de
The institute for work-science and technology-management (IAT) of the University Stuttgart concerns itself with
integrated corporate planning, design and optimization of
innovative products, processes and structures. Considering
human beings, organization, technology and environment,
the institute investigates and proves new concepts of
technology management, employment system and work
structuring. Work-science with its systematically analysis,
arrangement and design of technical, organizational and
social conditions of work processes and with its human
and economic aims is integrated centrally in the task of
technology-management.
79
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